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

Kabookalu · Post #101 » by **Kabookalu** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:23 am

Cleveland shouldn't have skipped out on Jonas, but to be a little more fair, things looked a lot differently back then. Jonas had a rather expensive buyout. And then there was questions on whether or not he was worth that buyout. He didn't start garnering serious attention until just a couple of weeks after the draft when he exploded in that U19 tournament. I remember some saying that if that tournament happened before the draft then there may have been some consideration for him in the top 3. Still though.

theycallmeZZ · Post #102 » by **theycallmeZZ** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:24 am

Heh, it's funny that people get angry about a thread about a rookie centre, but when there was a Drummond thread earlier on the board, nobody said anything. Is it just because he's a Raptor?

I like what I'm seeing from the guy so far. Not gonna place any "overhyped expectations" or anything, I just hope he can keep it up into the season.

TwentyOne920 · Post #103 » by **TwentyOne920** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:37 am

I'm honestly surprised at how many Raps fans are on RealGM tbh, especially considering how anemic sites like Raptors HQ are.

AdrianStan · Post #104 » by **AdrianStan** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 12:28 pm

I am really excited to see how he''s turning out. He has A LOT of potential

Deus · Post #105 » by **Deus** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 2:18 pm

I think Valanciunas is going to be something Toronto fans can finally feel good about since Vince Carter years ago.

Prediction: 20/7/2. He's a stud.

sca · Post #106 » by **sca** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 2:23 pm

Deus wrote:I think Valanciunas is going to be something Toronto fans can finally feel good about since Vince Carter years ago.

Prediction: 20/7/2. He's a stud.

Come on now, this is borderline trolling. He'll probably never average 20 PPG.

edit: Just noticed your RPG prediction. Are you confusing him with Bargnani?

Deus · Post #107 » by **Deus** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 2:30 pm

Bargs sucks. If the Raptors coach doesn't bench him for Valanciunas he's an idiot.

Well, let me rephrase it. Bargs isn't a 1st option. He won't win a title as one. He's a 3rd or 4th option.

Johnny Firpo · Post #108 » by **Johnny Firpo** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 2:45 pm

Jonas will average more than 7 rebounds, he was an elite rebounder at every level so far. Even if he won't be elite at the NBA level (meaning he won't average 12-13 boards) he'll most certainly average around 9 or 10. Imo that's a given. He has a knack for the ball. On offense, he's an enigma, but i think his overall skill level is definitely underrated at the moment. His shooting touch, and hook shot suggests he has some nice potential on offence as well. He's not a "garbage point" scorer, like many made him out to be. He has magnetic hands, and though not many, but some effective move already.

Dennis 37 · Post #109 » by **Dennis 37** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 3:43 pm

Deus wrote:Bargs sucks. If the Raptors coach doesn't bench him for Valanciunas he's an idiot.

Well, let me rephrase it. Bargs isn't a 1st option. He won't win a title as one. He's a 3rd or 4th option.

I predict that Val's presence will have a positive efect on Bargs game. Not only do the Raptors improve at the 5 and 1, they improve at the 4. Also, Derozen improves because of Lowry. It has been a while since the Raptors had players that caused others to improve. Bosh ddn't have that effect even though he was a superior player.

Post #110 » by **Duffman100** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:05 pm

Deus wrote:Bargs sucks. If the Raptors coach doesn't bench him for Valanciunas he's an idiot.

Well, let me rephrase it. Bargs isn't a 1st option. He won't win a title as one. He's a 3rd or 4th option.

They play together. Bargs at PF and Val at C. It isn't a matter of benching Bargs for Val.

Hero · Post #111 » by **Hero** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:25 pm

SalamiNCheez wrote:Pau Gasol comparisons are dumb. The guy looks more like a Joakim Noah or Tyson Chandler

Yep I agree as well.

BlackIce · Post #112 » by **BlackIce** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 7:33 pm

Bogut with a pick and pop game is what comes to mind for me. A healthy Bogut is alright by me.

sisibilio · Post #113 » by **sisibilio** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:26 pm

Choker wrote:Cleveland shouldn't have skipped out on Jonas, but to be a little more fair, things looked a lot differently back then. Jonas had a rather expensive buyout. And then there was questions on whether or not he was worth that buyout. He didn't start garnering serious attention until just a couple of weeks after the draft when he exploded in that U19 tournament. I remember some saying that if that tournament happened before the draft then there may have been some consideration for him in the top 3. Still though.

He has been garnering tons of attention since he was 16 at least, maybe not among the US fans but surely among scouts and anyone who follows youth competitions. The first time i saw him was 3 years ago in the european u18 championships played in France, and i had clear since the very first moment that the kid was a stud.

Kabookalu · Post #114 » by **Kabookalu** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:28 pm

sisibilio wrote:
Choker wrote:Cleveland shouldn't have skipped out on Jonas, but to be a little more fair, things looked a lot differently back then. Jonas had a rather expensive buyout. And then there was questions on whether or not he was worth that buyout. He didn't start garnering serious attention until just a couple of weeks after the draft when he exploded in that U19 tournament. I remember some saying that if that tournament happened before the draft then there may have been some consideration for him in the top 3. Still though.

He has been garnering tons of attention since he was 16 at least, maybe not among the US fans but surely among scouts and anyone who follows youth competitions. The first time i saw him was 3 years ago in the european u18 championships played in France, and i had clear since the very first moment that the kid was a stud.

True that, I didn't mean to imply that he bursted out of the scene from nowhere because of that tournament, but that's when he started gaining a mainstream following in the US.

andyo · Post #115 » by **andyo** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:16 pm

It has been said that his agent forced his hand, by using the buyout situation as a bargaining tool, so he could avoid going to Cleveland and make his way to Toronto. Regardless, it's very tough to tell his true projection as a player because he is still very raw. When we're strictly talking about his mobility, length, motor, and athleticism his upside can be sky high but in terms of offense he still lacks advanced footwork and the ability to use his left hand. However, at his current pace I can't see him being any worst than Joakim Noah or Biedrins (when he was good) but with excellent free throw shooting (which makes for a very good player).

He Filled it Up · Post #116 » by **He Filled it Up** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:22 pm

theycallmeZZ wrote:Heh, it's funny that people get angry about a thread about a rookie centre, but when there was a Drummond thread earlier on the board, nobody said anything. Is it just because he's a Raptor?

I like what I'm seeing from the guy so far. Not gonna place any "overhyped expectations" or anything, I just hope he can keep it up into the season.

There were more Raptors posters than Pistons posters in that thread. It also didn't help that those first to games came against the Raptors.

kenifvintage · Post #117 » by **kenifvintage** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:15 pm

haha.... SURE..

Johnny Firpo · Post #118 » by **Johnny Firpo** » Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:17 am

kenifvintage wrote:haha.... SURE..

Very insightful post... Come on, at least tell us what do you think will prevent him from being a very good player, or even a star. I think anybody who's objective has to realize he has all-star potential. Superstardom is probably out of the question though, i think i agree to that.

Kabookalu · Post #119 » by **Kabookalu** » Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:22 am

Johnny Firpo wrote:
kenifvintage wrote:haha.... SURE..

Very insightful post... Come on, at least tell us what do you think will prevent him from being a very good player, or even a star. I think anybody who's objective has to realize he has all-star potential. Superstardom is probably out of the question though, i think i agree to that.

Just curious what team are you a fan of? Not that it's too important, but it makes me feel a little bit better that it's not just Raptors fans that see the potential Jonas has.

Johnlac1 · Post #120 » by **Johnlac1** » Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:55 am

I'm a Bucks fan. I was one of those fans who heard a lot of clamoring last year about this player named Jonas Valanciunas coming from Raptor fans. So I watched a lot of clips and a number of Lietuvo Rytas games. I even watched some of Val's under-19 games. He certainly looked like a good prospect with a good body and great desire. But I was a little put off but what seemed to be an underdeveloped offensive game. Most of his highlight baskets came on pnr, put-backs, fast breaks, and other opportunistic baskets. I wanted to see a strong post move and/or a strong face up move. It looks like he's put a lot of work into his offensive moves, and I've now seen some very good offensive moves in highlight clips from this years preseason games. He still has a ways to go, but he sure looks promising. I thought he could be a good to very good center before this preseason. I now think he can be a top five center.