Everything Valanciunas

[NoPropsneeded]

To be "succinct" Mason had a more efficient year with a 19.07 PER and 65% field goal %. 14.60 PER and 51% FG% for Miles.

Thats cause all Mason did was clean up after his teammates bricks. Dude is not as talented as his bro

[stretch]

Thats cause all Mason did was clean up after his teammates bricks. Dude is not as talented as his bro

That's what Plumlees do best.

[BadDinosaur]

Found this interesting read on the lithuanian national team. Good read:

WHAT TEAM LITHUANIA MUST DO TO WIN A MEDAL IN SPAIN

The first round of friendly matches of the FIBA World Cup 2014 is over

Team Lithuania*has impressed with a perfect 10-0 record. Despite their unbridled success, there have been a few warning signs on their road to their medal. The last two games Lithuania has struggled quite a bit, perhaps even showing a few weaknesses, especially defensively. The last two games against tough opponents*New Zealand*and*Slovenia*have been a little bit telling. Trailing late in the game both times, it required 4th-quarter heroics from their star-players to bail them out.

In their recent win over New Zealand, down by 8 late in the game with five minutes left to go , it required an unbelievable 16-point outburst by Jonas Valančiūnas to win . Likewise, it also took a couple of timely three-pointers by Mantas Kalnietis to get over the hump against a fierce Slovenian team led by*NBA*“should’ve been an all-star”,*Goran Dragič*of the*Phoenix Suns. These were not decisive victories, yet one can hardly be ashamed of almost losing to Slovenia, who like Lithuania, is a perennial basketball powerhouse. These games did however expose a few weaknesses in Lithuania’s perfect exhibition-game run. If they correct these mistakes in a timely manner, they will definitely be a podium team in Spain.

Things Lithuania can do to improve their game:

They need to play*Mantas Kalnietis*at times at the two-guard spot alongside backup point-guard,*Šarunas Vasilauskas*. *Mantas Kalnietis is rarely played as a point-guard during the Euro-league regular season on his team yet somehow Lithuania always expects him to instantly become “Šarunas Jasikevičius” in one week or so of training camp! While he is a well-respected team leader, let’s be absolutely honest. He’s just not that good of a play-maker or passer! When he’s focused on scoring, like in last year’s silver-medal winning Eurobaket team, that’s when Lithuanian’s offense really catches fire.*Šarūnas Vasilauskas*has proven he is a capable point-guard, and it is definitely his TRUE position. He does not struggle bringing the ball up the court and getting the team in attack-mode the way Kalnietis sometimes does, wasting much time on the shot-clock. Kalnietis on the other hand has proven time and again that he can be a pure-scoring, shooting-guard. In Eurobasket 2013 he played as such, ending up one of the leading scorers in that tournament. Lithuania needs this guard-scorer that Seibutis just isn’t. If Kalnietis is actually a 2-guard and Vasilauskas is a true-point guard, what’s so strange about having them occasionally play their natural positions together?Play*Jonas Valančiunas*more! For some reason, Coach*Kazlauskas*has a love-affair with the Lavrinovičius brothers. I’m certainly not saying that the twins, with all their contributions to Lithuania’s basketball history, should get no playing time. They are useful veterans and do pretty well in small doses, but they should not command nearly half the minutes in the front court positions as they have been getting. Young JV is way too good to be sitting on the bench in crunch-time and for sure needs to be the focal point of the offense. Dariušas L. should also play way more than his brother Kyštofas considering he shoots his 3-pointer at a far higher-percentage than his brother and he can provide some scoring off the bench . Unfortunately, I agree with the coach Kazlauskas of one year ago who let Kyštofas go for Euro Basket 2013. They won the silver there so it couldn’t have been that bad a decision. Make the same decision again coach K!The only problem with JV is, he really isn’t known for his defense. Often his defense is dictated by his offense, which is a bad habit among players, especially those who play in the NBA. He is however, the best interior scorer on the team and the points you get from him in the paint only a fool would pass up. He was definitely the hero of the New Zealand game, scoring 16 points in the last 5 minutes, essentially winning the game single-handedly for team LT. The Lavrinočius brothers, while slightly more experienced than JV on defense are not really that much of an improvement to be sure. Team LT unfortunately doesn’t have the luxury of*Robertas Javtokas*staunch rim-protection this year and they are just going to have to suck it up, and make do with what they got with JV on the defensive-end. Especially when they need his offense so badly.Stop always subbing*Jonas Mačiulis*forMindaugas Kuzminskas. Both are highly effective scorers and quality defenders who could really benefit the team if they played together, especially when coach K chooses smaller lineups. The athletic young Kuzminskas has been a real bright spot, showcasing his athleticism in the exhibition games, especially in the open court. Mačiulis is a crafty veteran who is also still young enough to play athletically and he can definitely get you some needed buckets. All in all I think we’re lucky Linas Kleiza played the position on the team where Lithuania was the deepest. These two other solid options are really shining with the increased playing time!Start*Simas Jasaitis. Kind of a controversial move I know. He’s not so old at 32 years of age that he struggles getting up and down the court. His size at the 2-guard spot coupled with his decent speed makes him a great defender against smaller, 3-point shooting two-guards. He’s also a veteran who’s been around the block and knows how to play. His best attribute however is he’s by far the most reliable 3-point shooter Lithuania has. Having a sniper like that just opens up the paint for more attacks from Kalnietis, driving and dishing by Vasilauskas and it gives JV and D-Mo room to work in the paint. No disrespect toRenaldas Seibutis*or*Martynas Pocius, who would still play large roles still off the bench. It’s just that Seibutis isn’t nearly as good a sharp-shooter and Pocius is not nearly as explosive an attacking-guard as he used to be and he’s far too predictable to be an effective driver-and-finisher for more than just brief stretches.Give Gudaitis a chance! If coach K has to free up a roster spot, say goodbye to Kyštofas L. and Adas Juskevičius. Both are either redundant or ineffective players for various reasons. All a young, agile big like Gudaitis really needs is some experience so he can build up his confidence. The talent is definitely there. At an energetic 21 years-old, he runs the floor like a gazelle and can be very impactful off the bench. He’s proven himself by playing great for stretches, especially with Donatas Motiejunas playing center along with him as a front-court mate. Both he and D-Mo are extremely athletic and D-Mo is enough of a threat from beyond the arc to give Gudaitis some room to work in the paint. Coach Kazlauskas , like many Lithuanian coaches , tends to be suspicious of youth let’s face it. This is the Lithuanian way, not the NBA-way, where young players are often given big minutes with free-reign. He likes having veterans lead the charge which is a smart coaching strategy. This is fine. It’s just that youth, mixed in small doses with wise veterans can break the ice on long stretches when the team struggles to score. I would agree with coach K that there should always be some kind of veteran presence on the court. Effective older players like Paulius Jankunas ,*Simas Jasaitis*D. Lavrinovičius*and Jonas Mačiulis can help a lot to guide the youngsters. Let’s face it though; bursts of youth always tend to spark rallies. Their energy is contagious! Late in games it’s always wise to have more veterans to protect tenuous leads but in the between times, let the young players get a shot to really make a difference. In Lithuania, even 20 year olds have been playing for years and could be considered “veterans “by American standards. Many have learned from the best Lithuanian players of all time at elite basketball academies like ‘Šarunas Marčiulonis‘ and ‘Arvydas Sabonas‘academies. Trust me; they know how to play the right way.

In closing, Coach Kazlauskas has led the troops to an impressive string of victories in these recent 10 friendly matches. Going undefeated has never hurt a team’s confidence. Plus, it is always wise to play together a lot and against tough opponents if you really want to forge a tough, cohesive fighting-unit on the basketball court. Some teams like team USA have a different approach. They have scheduled very few friendly matches, no doubt firm in their belief that their overwhelming talent will definitely bring them the gold no matter what. They figure; why risk injuries, like the horrific one that happened to Paul George? Lithuania has chosen the exact opposite path to the podium. They believe that playing a lot, and playing together has really helped them as a team. Now however, the friendly matches get tougher and tougher when they face Brazil, Slovenia and Croatia. It will truly be a test of the “Lithuanian way”, which is team first, team last and team everywhere else in-between!

When the actual World Cup tournament begins in Spain in a couple weeks, almost all the teams in Lithuania’s group D are not ranked very high, with the exception of Slovenia. If Lithuania doesn’t finish either first or second in the group-play portion the FIBA tournament, it would shock the basketball world. But they still got to take every game seriously, even the so-called “friendly” games. They must play stubborn defense ALL THE TIME and get the ball to their reliable scorers with simple plays. That’s the key, not trying to re-invent the wheel. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If they do these simple things, and play with the heart of a team that is extremely proud of their nation’s storied basketball history, they should definitely make it to one of the podiums at the medal ceremony in Spain in a few weeks!

[Puffer]

Thanks for the post. Interesting write up. Nice to see the props given JV and the observation of his defensive mediocrity. On the other hand, the writer notes that he's not BAD defensively, just not great. Definitely something he can work on, and he has shown a propensity to work. Great future.

[yabadabayolo]

Potential final? I don't see Lithuania-USA final happening. They'll face off in semis, course.. if they manage to get trough quarter finals

My bad, I don't really know the whole fiba system works. I'm definanlty going to watch that game. If they ever meet of course

[rocwell]

JV stats in exhibition games ( from basketnews.lt )

[Puffer]

Would like to see more assists. I recall a post where someone mentioned he was passing out of the post and his team mates were missing badly.

[rocwell]

Would like to see more assists. I recall a post where someone mentioned he was passing out of the post and his team mates were missing badly.

Well, Lithuania guards move a ball A LOT. It feels like extra pass is must action for them Also, I'm not sure how many mins he averaged, but I have a feeling it's below 25 mins a game.

[Joey]

JV stats in exhibition games ( from basketnews.lt )

67% from the Field?? 81% from the Line?! That's a man that can't be stopped.

Blocks are LOW though.

[Axel]

67% from the Field?? 81% from the Line?! That's a man that can't be stopped.

Blocks are LOW though.

Maybe the opponents were just too scared to shoot near JV and elected for the more dignified result of the shot clock violation rather than get royally stuffed

[DanH]

Maybe the opponents were just too scared to shoot near JV and elected for the more dignified result of the shot clock violation rather than get royally stuffed

Threw themselves on their swords as it were. I buy it.

[GLF]

Yea the blocks are the only thing I'm worried about. He should have a least 1 block. But the assists don't worry me too much because he is moving the ball and passing out of double teams fairly well. I think it's either his passes are the hockey assist or guys aren't hitting shots.

[phiLLy]

I haven't been watching the games, but isn't is safe the say, that many of the teams are perimeter teams, with big men that can't match up to JV, which causes them to constantly shoot the Long 2/Threes?

[GLF]

I haven't been watching the games, but isn't is safe the say, that many of the teams are perimeter teams, with big men that can't match up to JV, which causes them to constantly shoot the Long 2/Threes?

I've only watched a couple of games and not even the full game so I'm not sure. But you are right there are a lot of perimeter shots being taken from what I can remember. But I did read somewhere that Lithuania hasn't played that great of defense and Jonas isn't helping much on that front. I was hoping Jonas' defense would improve because I think that's a big reason why Casey doesn't play him enough at the ending of games. 2Patt and Amir are much better defensively than Jonas and Amir.

[Mediumcore]

JV stats in exhibition games ( from basketnews.lt )

Impressive and efficient numbers on offense. Hate to complain, but rebounds and block shots are really low and I would think that is what the Raptors want from him this season more than the offense. Small sample size anyway, and doesn't accurately reflect what his season will be.