The Toronto Raptors have run into a myriad of problems lately, but one solution is staring them straight in the face. He stands six-foot-11 and hails from Lithuania. His name is Jonas Valanciunas.
For a number of reasons, however, Valanciunas is currently finding himself lost in the shuffle.
It is no secret that that Toronto is in an unfavourable position. They are a team whose talent level ensures that they are unlikely to finish in the NBA’s basement, yet there is no guarantee they will make the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2008 either.
In the NBA, this is a troubling situation to be in. The league is superstar driven and the only teams that can truly compete for a title are those that have at least one—if not multiple—all-star calibre players.
This current Raptors squad is devoid of such players—at least at the moment.
Saddled with the roster as it is currently comprised, head coach Dwane Casey has relied upon Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan—the team’s resident gunners—to carry the offence. As a result, offensive flow and efficiency have suffered. In addition to those offensive struggles, this style of play has had an adverse effect on Toronto’s one budding star, a player that in a few short years could be the all-star the club needs—Valanciunas.
Valanciunas entered this season surrounded by a great deal of hype. Coming off of a strong rookie campaign and an impressive summer that saw him win the Las Vegas Summer League MVP, there were many who expected him to set the association on fire right out of the gate.
That has not quite happened.
In 11 games so far, Valanciunas is averaging 9.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and a block in 27.3 minutes per game—a modest improvement over last season’s totals.
It is still his second year in the league and it’s important to temper expectations with the now 21-year-old. But, the lack of significant improvement in his production has much more to do with how little he is being utilized in Toronto’s offence than it does with any sort of letdown on his behalf.
Despite shooting 50 percent from the floor, Valanciunas is sixth on the team in usage rate, and attempts the fourth most shots, at just eight per game. He is often successfully featured early on in games, only to have his teammates ignore him down the stretch—that is, if he sees the floor at all.
Valanciunas has played 42 of a possible 132 fourth quarter minutes so far this season, including four games in which he sat out for the entire period. Granted, part of that is his fault—he has gotten himself into some foul trouble, committing four or more fouls in five of 11 contests. The other part is due to Casey’s tendency to go small, subbing Landry Fields or Terrence Ross in place of the second-year centre.
When he has played, Valanciunas has been excellent. According to NBA.com stats, he is currently plus-31 in the clutch and, when he is on the floor in the fourth, the Raptors’ offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) jumps from 102.3 to 116.9 and their defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) dips from 98.4 to 81.6.
There is also an added long-term value to playing the big Lithuanian. He is the one player on this team that has the potential to become the face of the franchise in the future, and those fourth quarter minutes could be very valuable for the youngster.
Yes, there are going to be some defensive lapses, as is the case with any young big man, but the positives of playing him in the crunch far outweigh the negatives.
Valanciunas’s plight was on full display in Sunday afternoon’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He started the game hot, making four of his first five attempts for 11 points in the opening quarter, but finished the game with 19, taking just six more shots the rest of the way.
On the positive side of things, he did receive a decent amount of burn down the stretch. He was on the court for more than half of the fourth quarter and was a part of the Raptor unit that made up a 10-point deficit to force overtime. Defensively, he was solid and may have done a good enough job to earn more minutes going forward.
If that is indeed the case, it will continue to be his D that keeps him on the floor. Offensively, unless there is a major shakeup in the backcourt or on the wing, Valanciunas will remain the forgotten man.
That shouldn’t be the case. Involving Valanciunas In the pick and roll with Kyle Lowry or Gay in late game situations would open up the floor and lead to easy buckets, as he is an excellent finisher around the rim.
This is a strategy that, again, can only serve to help the Raptors. Valanciunas is a weapon at their disposal and it is about time they start taking advantage of him.