Which Raptor would survive a zombie apocalypse? Who has the most impressive autograph collection? Did Luis Scola get emotional at the end of Fast & Furious 7? (Hint: hell yes). Why is Terrence Ross singing Alice Cooper? Every day until the season starts, a new player steps in front of the lens and answers the tough questions so you can get to know your Toronto Raptors. Up next, Jonas Valanciunas takes us to (cooking) school.
|Know Your Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas|Terrence Ross| DeMar DeRozan| Norm Powell| Patrick Patterson| Anthony Bennett|
Charles Barkley better learn how to pronounce Jonas Valanciunas’s name correctly, as his fourth NBA season is primed to be a big one.
Fresh off signing a 4-year, $64 million contract extension this summer, the 23 year-old Lithuanian has solidified his spot as the Raptors centre of both the present and future— and with good reason. Most of his numbers, including his underlying metrics, have steadily improved as has his mobility in the paint. Valanciunas is a strong rebounder, too, and Raptors management believe he can become an elite centre in the East; if Dwayne Casey moves away from going small late in games Valanciunas will have every opportunity to do become just that.
That’s a big “If” right now. Valanciunas was rarely used in the 4th quarter last season. It’ll be a two-way street in this situation: Casey will need to trust Valanciunas enough to put him in 4th quarters early in the season but the big man will also need to work to solidify that trust with a smarter approach. His defense underneath the basket has never been his issue, but an overall improvement from the high-post in remains necessary.
Valanciunas has improved steadily in each of his first three seasons and there’s little reason to doubt he can continue to even better.
All that’s missing are consistent minutes on the court. Hard to believe those won’t come soon, either.
2014-15 stats: 80 games played (all starts)/26.2 mpg/12 ppg/8.7 rpg/1.2 bpg/57% shooting (78% FT)
|Know Your Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas|Terrence Ross| DeMar DeRozan| Norm Powell| Patrick Patterson| Anthony Bennett|