Jonas Valanciunas: 7-footer has the makings of a star

xprt · Post #201 » by **xprt** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:46 am

His per 36 min numbers 10.5 ppg 10.2 rpg 3bpg 4.5fpg

Johnny Firpo · Post #202 » by **Johnny Firpo** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 9:11 am

xprt wrote:His per 36 min numbers 10.5 ppg 10.2 rpg 3bpg 4.5fpg

That's why i said i could see him averaging a double-double in his rookie season. If he can avoid foul trouble (won't be that easy), he can do it imo. Surprising to see him altering, and blocking that many shots though. I think that has a lot to do with Casey, and the mentality of this Raptors defense. Very promising. I really think they can make the playoffs if they can stay healthy. Lowry and Val are huge acquisitions.

sisibilio · Post #203 » by **sisibilio** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:04 pm

Johnny Firpo wrote:
xprt wrote:His per 36 min numbers 10.5 ppg 10.2 rpg 3bpg 4.5fpg

That's why i said i could see him averaging a double-double in his rookie season. If he can avoid foul trouble (won't be that easy), he can do it imo.

If he played 30+ mpg maybe, but i don't think he will, at least not in the first couple months.

Johnny Firpo wrote:Surprising to see him altering, and blocking that many shots though. I think that has a lot to do with Casey, and the mentality of this Raptors defense.

That's always been his mentality, his biggest impact in Lietuvos was not on offense, where he had a minor role but on defense thanks to his high activity, despite being pushed around at times by the bigger guys.

Apollo64 · Post #204 » by **Apollo64** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:55 pm

Johnny Firpo wrote:Surprising to see him altering, and blocking that many shots though. I think that has a lot to do with Casey, and the mentality of this Raptors defense.

That's always been his mentality, his biggest impact in Lietuvos was not on offense, where he had a minor role but on defense thanks to his high activity, despite being pushed around at times by the bigger guys.[/quote]

Pretty much this, he is not going to be a great scorer in his first few years anyway (and for anyone comparing him to Pau, lol, his repertoire of moves is nowhere near Pau at his age, plus he is smaller than him). He is going to be a solid defensive/hustle center though, which was obviously something the Raps were lacking. Not Asik or even Varejao good, but better in that regard than a lot of starting centers.

sisibilio · Post #205 » by **sisibilio** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:16 pm

He's going to be a lot more impactful than Varejao almost from the get go. Actually i'd say that a bigger, longer Varejao is his worst case comparison.

Indy2thaWindy · Post #206 » by **Indy2thaWindy** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:22 pm

Baiting, derailing, back-seat moderating

OhMyBosh · Post #207 » by **OhMyBosh** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:25 pm

I really wouldn't expect much stat-wise. At most, he'll get 27-29 minutes a game, granted he doesn't foul out. So in limited minutes, he'll probably produce 8 ppg, 8 rpg, 1 bpg on 50-55%FG.

His mentality is to attack the glass, contest every shot, and always roll to the basket, but his body is not ready to bang with big men yet. I definitely see a very up and down year for him.

Jonas is likely a candidate for most improved in his 2nd year or 3rd year, once he gets stronger in the off-season and gets accustomed to full time NBA speed.

tatertotsnjuice · Post #208 » by **tatertotsnjuice** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:52 pm

Jonas is good, but hopefully so he can catch up to Enes Kanter's developement since they are the exact same age.

[SJJ] · Post #209 » by **[SJJ]** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:17 pm

tatertotsnjuice wrote:Jonas is good, but hopefully so he can catch up to Enes Kanter's developement since they are the exact same age.

I hope both guys pan out - would be a sweet rivalry!

MustSeeBG · Post #210 » by **MustSeeBG** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:45 pm

Profanity, posting for a suspended poster, baiting

Kabookalu · Post #211 » by **Kabookalu** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 7:15 pm

This topic is a great example of how being a martyr doesn't help get your point across.

Hero · Post #212 » by **Hero** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 7:17 pm

At this point we should ice the topic till we see him play a few games in the season against some decent centres who are actually giving it their all.

Hoops Addict · Post #213 » by **Hoops Addict** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:39 pm

tatertotsnjuice wrote:Jonas is good, but hopefully so he can catch up to Enes Kanter's developement since they are the exact same age.

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/top_p ... index.html Yes....there is a good comparison with Kanter. Both are Euros that are the same age. Who will be better? JV looks strong, tall, he will be good.

HornetJail · Post #214 » by **HornetJail** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 9:28 pm

How many people are going to get suspended in this thread? That was three more on the last page alone. ****'s getting real.

sisibilio wrote:He's going to be a lot more impactful than Varejao almost from the get go. Actually i'd say that a bigger, longer Varejao is his worst case comparison.

That's a long shot. Varejao was cranking out double doubles in the twenty-some odd games he played. Then again, 75% of his points come off of defenses just standing there simply staring at Varejao's hair.

ATLTimekeeper · Post #215 » by **ATLTimekeeper** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 9:35 pm

CHA_77_Bobcats wrote:How many people are going to get suspended in this thread? That was three more on the last page alone. ****'s getting real.

sisibilio wrote:He's going to be a lot more impactful than Varejao almost from the get go. Actually i'd say that a bigger, longer Varejao is his worst case comparison.
That's a long shot. Varejao was cranking out double doubles in the twenty-some odd games he played. Then again, 75% of his points come off of defenses just standing there simply staring at Varejao's hair.

In his first year Varajao didn't have a single double double. He had two in his second year.

HornetJail · Post #216 » by **HornetJail** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:09 pm

He's talking about current (non-injured) Varejao.

droponov · Post #217 » by **droponov** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:26 pm

Choker wrote:One person that we need to give more credit to is Dwane Casey. Man this guy's a magician when it comes into turning players into better defenders.

He's done a good job but its' immaterial in this case. Valanciunas would always become a very good to elite defensive player in the NBA. Very predictable considering his traits and how he was a high-level defender at every level before. Great combination of quickness, length, motor and effort. He's still going to struggle in his rookie season though.

hoophabit · Post #218 » by **hoophabit** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:33 pm

I'm a Pistons fan, but am very impressed with the Raptors this year. Jonas a fine prospect, and I'm amazed that anyone would refer to him as "unathletic." He's a fine defender and I expect him to improve offensively as he gets adjusted to the league. Derozan is a fine player as well. I don't think saying Jonas has the makings of a star is over the top at all.

Kabookalu · Post #219 » by **Kabookalu** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:36 pm

droponov wrote:He's done a good job but its' immaterial in this case. Valanciunas would always become a very good to elite defensive player in the NBA. Very predictable considering his traits and how he was a high-level defender at every level before. Great combination of quickness, length, motor and effort. He's still going to struggle in his rookie season though.

Although not many expected his impact to come so immediately. A lot of Raptors fans predicted he would be in foul trouble most of the time making errand decisions on defense, but it's been the complete opposite.

droponov · Post #220 » by **droponov** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:47 pm

Choker wrote:
droponov wrote:He's done a good job but its' immaterial in this case. Valanciunas would always become a very good to elite defensive player in the NBA. Very predictable considering his traits and how he was a high-level defender at every level before. Great combination of quickness, length, motor and effort. He's still going to struggle in his rookie season though.

Although not many expected his impact to come so immediately. A lot of Raptors fans predicted he would be in foul trouble most of the time making errand decisions on defense, but it's been the complete opposite.

And he'll still have foul trouble whence the games are serious, but it was foolish to believe he'd be clueless considering what he's showed so far. His improvement over the last 2 seasons was notable in that aspect. I remember having lenghty discussions on this issue.

Actually I even charted some stats to show his improvement back then:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1090163&start=405#p28284922

And last season he kept improving. Valanciunas got the fame of being a foul prone player prone to positional lapses because people started paying attention to him in the moment he started playing pro-ball and had to go through an adjustment period. His developmental path has always been positive, he's a fast learner.