The Toronto Raptors have kept Jonas Valanciunas on their roster through thick and thin. He’s responded by upgrading his skills to those needed in today’s shooting-mad NBA.
The Toronto Raptors have enjoyed the services of center Jonas Valanciunas since 2012-13. His first season was the year after he was drafted by GM Bryan Colangelo because of the wording of his Euro League contract. Despite that hiccup, JV is the longest-serving Raptor, and arguably the one whose game has undergone the most change.
JV deserves considerable credit for bending with the wind. His career arc reflects the astonishing speed at which the NBA has transitioned from a get-the-ball-inside league to a bombs-away one. In so doing, the center position has been devalued, particularly on offense.
Consider: Jonas averaged more minutes in his rookie season than he has last season or this. He took more three-balls last season than he had in his career prior. The ability to make those shots, with a make rate of 40.5%, has probably salvaged his tenure in Toronto.
Yesterday’s man
Let’s contrast JV’s numbers with those of teammate Greg Monroe. The Moose’s career has gone into irreversible decline. Only two years older than JV, and a fixture for years in Detroit, he played for three teams last year, all of whom decided they’d seen enough, thanks. Desperate for a job, he accepted the Raptors’ veterans-minimum offer, and has been pasted to the bench so far. He hasn’t attempted a three-ball as a pro.
Monroe hasn’t been able to negotiate the narrow bridge for big men between yesterday’s low-post scorer and today’s 3 & D contributor. He’s got no 3, and precious little D, in a sped-up league where smaller swingmen leave him in the dust. Unless Moose, never a shot-blocker and always an indifferent rebounder, cranks up some other element of his game (similar to JV discovering the joys of shooting from deep), he’s doomed. He’ll be little more than an afterthought, getting minutes at the end of blowouts.
Back to JV: he’s racked up impossible numbers in the revolving-door starting center situation with Serge Ibaka. His PER of 27.3 is the team’s highest, and #17 in the league. It won’t remain that way; assuming the wonderful starts of Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard continue, they will both pass him. That doesn’t matter. He’s also tracking Per-36 minutes scoring and rebounding stats which will be the highest of his career if maintained, and that does matter.
Jonas has carved out a meaningful and essential role for himself. While he doesn’t possess Ibaka’s defensive chops, he’s not a pylon in the paint. He’s an excellent rebounder at both ends of the floor, can create his own shot with either hand when needed, and is a willing, effective passer. If he’s hacked, he makes the opposition pay – his 82.4% success rate from the charity stripe is a career high.
A lot of centers and power forwards have been made redundant in the modern NBA. Valanciunas has worked hard, and successfully, to change his game and stay current. I hope he’s with us for a long time yet.