Everything Valanciunas

[Cody73]

I'm shocked with how little he signed for.


But there's one thing I want JV to do next year more: Use the glass. That mid-range shot is not a great shot for you JV. Try using a version of it like this gif of Duncan:

[Snooch]

Literally spat out my coffee, hahahaa

Ross has shown nothing to indicate he's a starting caliber SG. Extremely streaky with his threes, provides nothing else on offense, defensive IQ is around 0 despite his tools (which are a bit overrated because he has a tiny wingspan and isn't strong)

look past last season, and tell me why he would fail at doing what he has yet been asked or able to do in the nba?

Has he ever started at sg? Only for a few games in demars absence in which the offense expected him to fit into demars fucked up shaped hole, so while he failed, i wouldnt consider it a fair opportunity.

Has he ever shown unable to defend the lesser of the offensive threats? and the smaller of the wing players? No, because he has never been given that opportunity.

Yes his shot wasnt as good last season (but even with his shot abandoning him...he still hit 37% from three(better than Lou, better than Kyle, Better than Patterson) and a total shot percentage of 519..behind JJ, Lou and Kyle for our wing plyers)

And he was hurt

[raptors999]

look past last season, and tell me why he would fail at doing what he has yet been asked or able to do in the nba?

Has he ever started at sg? Only for a few games in demars absence in which the offense expected him to fit into demars fucked up shaped hole, so while he failed, i wouldnt consider it a fair opportunity.

Has he ever shown unable to defend the lesser of the offensive threats? and the smaller of the wing players? No, because he has never been given that opportunity.

Yes his shot wasnt as good last season (but even with his shot abandoning him...he still hit 37% from three(better than Lou, better than Kyle, Better than Patterson) and a total shot percentage of 519..behind JJ, Lou and Kyle for our wing plyers)

And he was hurt

Wait to see if CoJo-Ross can be anything like Parker-Green. Nobody looked good with all the guards ball hogging and chucking last year.

[Snooch]

Wait to see if CoJo-Ross can be anything like Parker-Green. Nobody looked good with all the guards ball hogging and chucking last year.

innocent until proven guilty.

He has not been given a proper structure to best utilize his skills.

[Cody73]

innocent until proven guilty.

He has not been given a proper structure to best utilize his skills.

That's very true on Ross.



Let's hope "Terror" Ross shows off his good side of that nickname this year.


Also, let's go JV.

[BS10]

That's very true on Ross.



Let's hope "Terror" Ross shows off his good side of that nickname this year.


Also, let's go JV.

Yea i hope so too. I'd hate to see T.Rash show up again. Not another year of him. Anything but that.

[slaw]

innocent until proven guilty.

He has not been given a proper structure to best utilize his skills.

Come on. The guy got a battlefield promotion into the starting lineup in 2014 and was gifted the starting role this past season. He was so bad they not only had to get him out of the starting lineup they had trouble keeping him on the floor at all.

His only plus skill is shooting the three. That's it. And he's shot lots of threes in Toronto. He's shot it pretty well in fact. He cannot handle the ball. He does not create for anyone else. He is not a plus rebounder. He is not a plus defender. He is too small to play the SF position and he doesn't have the ball skills necessary to play the SG spot. He is perfectly suited to a role where he plays ~15 minutes a game as a fifth guard who stands in the corner and shoots threes. And that's fine. There is nothing wrong with that. He will probably have a decent career doing just that.

But if he's in your starting unit you have a significant hole in your roster.

EDIT: Sorry, JV thread. How about that JV deal? Pretty awesome, eh?

[golden]

OMG. So much potential...

http://hoopshype.com/2015/08/21/is-j...ll-that-money/

Is Jonas Valanciunas worth all that money?
August 21, 2015- by David Nurse

The death of the back-to-the-basket big. That has been the developing trend and continued growing mindset in the NBA. Where has the classic big man gone? Extinct? Seems as if every seven-footer these days is a stretch four.

But in a league where the trend favors hard in one direction and tunnel vision occurs, having a weapon that others don’t… Well, that can prove priceless. Think about it: If everyone is bringing the slingshots to a fight and you show up with a cannon, you might have an advantage.

Now of course there is a difference in just having a back-to-the-basket big and actually having a dominant back-to-the-basket big. There’s very few of the latter. When you think of the most dominant low-post big men in the league, Marc Gasol comes to mind. Possibly Dwight Howard. But after that, it’s a struggle to come up with the next in line. Well, I’m here to tell you that next in line resides north of the border in Toronto – Jonas Valanciunas.

Poised for a breakout season this year, Valanciunas is the next great big man in the league. Going into his fourth season, Valanciunas has quietly continued to raise his production in nearly all major categories. Last season, he averaged 12.0 ppg and nearly 9 rebounds while shooting 57.2 percent from the field and 78.6 percent from the free throw line – astronomical for a big as you should well know after the 2015 playoffs… and he has only begun to scratch the surface of his potential.

The increase in his production and development each year is a huge credit to the Raptors’ staff and management. The commitment to offseason player development by one of the top coaching staffs in the league has paid huge dividends for Valanciunas. It’s the extended trips to Lithuania in the the summer to work with Valanciunas in musty European gyms that go unseen from the public’s eye. It’s the hours in the film room breaking down film to ensure that Valanciunas is used in the most efficient and effective situations. I know how hard the Raptors’ coaches work. It may go unnoticed and fly under the radar, but it pays dividends. That commitment by Toronto is a big reason why Valanciunas will be a Top 3 big man in the league this season.

Let’s break it down even further and find out exactly why this is the year Valanciunas puts his name on the map as a Top 3 big man in the league.

First, 34 percent of Valanciunas’ offensives touches are in the post with his back to the basket – a heavy amount in this day and age. Jonas is converting at a 1.023 points per possession rate and ranking in the Top 10 percent of the NBA in back-to-the-basket efficiency – ranking him higher than LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol.


However, Valanciunas isn’t only effective when he gets touches in the post. Jonas ranks in the Top 25 percent of the league in all but one of the main shot allocation areas used to judge an effective big man – post-up, cut finishes, offensive rebound put backs, pick-and-roll finishes and spot up.

In a league where 30-40 percent of half-court offense is predicated around the pick-and-roll, Valanciunas excels in these situations at a rate of 1.118 points per possession. A combination of soft hands, natural touch, better than average footwork and a big body rolling down the lane makes for a high level pick-and-roll big.

Not only does Valanciunas excel on the block with his back to the basket and in pick-and-roll situations, he is extremely underrated in transition. OK, he’s not Usain Bolt up and down the floor, but there is a lot to be said for a big that has a willing motor to get up and down. What stands out about Valanciunas in transition is the first two steps he takes when he changes from offense to defense and vice versa. That is the key for an effective big. The first two steps will force the big man’s defender to run with him in transition or allow him take the night off. Valanciunas is going to keep that motor running all night and you know it. Doesn’t hurt that he is finishing at a 1.378 points per possession in transition either. Top 8 percent in the the NBA, placing him above the likes of Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant. Not a bad bonus to have. In a league where it’s now becoming rare to see a big man play with passion and fire, Valanciunas is a refreshing blast from the past.

The league is in love with big men that stretch the floor. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as big an advocate as anyone of being able to stretch the floor and force the defense to guard 30 percent more of the court every possession. But should that infatuation devalue a potentially dominating big? All I’m saying is I’d rather have Jonas Valanciunas on my side than Mehmet Okur. Especially when he is extremely efficient in the pick-and-roll and transition – basically half of the offense generated by NBA teams.

So does Valanciunas deserve that four-year, $64 million deal? I don’t know if anyone is deserving of that type of money, but in the inflated income age of the NBA, the answer to that question would be a 100 percent YES.

[rightsideup]

I really hope there is a plan for Jonas to reach his potential with the cap going up his contract is not out of wack and is also tradable. Have a good season Jonas!!!

[3inthekeon]

The increase in his production and development each year is a huge credit to the Raptors’ staff and management. The commitment to offseason player development by one of the top coaching staffs in the league has paid huge dividends for Valanciunas. It’s the extended trips to Lithuania in the the summer to work with Valanciunas in musty European gyms that go unseen from the public’s eye. It’s the hours in the film room breaking down film to ensure that Valanciunas is used in the most efficient and effective situations. I know how hard the Raptors’ coaches work. It may go unnoticed and fly under the radar, but it pays dividends. That commitment by Toronto is a big reason why Valanciunas will be a Top 3 big man in the league this season.

You can really tell this person doesn't post on this board. We're great at criticizing when we really have little clue other than the tip of the iceberg that we actually see. Thanks for posting, golden, good stuff.

[S.R.]

You can really tell this person doesn't post on this board. We're great at criticizing when we really have little clue other than the tip of the iceberg that we actually see. Thanks for posting, golden, good stuff.

Now to be fair the "he works so hard in the offseason" is true of most of the players in this league. The stories are constant about guys working with coaches, flying in to their team cities, private workouts with HoFers, getting together with a small handful of other NBAers and private trainers to bust their assess in some random gym in the middle of the summer, running on the bottom of the freaking ocean, etc. etc. Look at how ripped these guys are when they show up for training camp and preseason every fall. They nearly ALL bust their asses in the summer. It's now a story if a guy actually shows up out of shape like Boris Pillsbury Diaw.

I don't know how many teams fly their coaches overseas, which is awesome, but I guarantee that any player in this league who requests coaching/training help from his team in the summer will get it, and I'm sure most teams suggest/recommend as much during spring exit interviews - especially with their younger guys.

Again, not to poo poo too much. It's awesome that Jonas is busting it and the team is helping whether he plays 4th quarters or not. Glad to see him getting better.

[golden]

You can really tell this person doesn't post on this board. We're great at criticizing when we really have little clue other than the tip of the iceberg that we actually see. Thanks for posting, golden, good stuff.

Thanks. That article got me pumped up, but then.... I saw the last name of the writer (Nurse) and noticed the over-the-top praise for the Raptors coaching stuff......

The commitment to offseason player development by one of the top coaching staffs in the league has paid huge dividends for Valanciunas. It’s the extended trips to Lithuania in the the summer to work with Valanciunas in musty European gyms that go unseen from the public’s eye. It’s the hours in the film room breaking down film to ensure that Valanciunas is used in the most efficient and effective situations. I know how hard the Raptors’ coaches work.

[Raptorsnz]

Top 3 big man this season is a definite over exaggeration. But hey, it's offseason, so why not be optimistic!

And wow, that spin move on Bogut in the article is sooo nice.

[Snooch]

Top 3 big man this season is a definite over exaggeration. But hey, it's offseason, so why not be optimistic!

And wow, that spin move on Bogut in the article is sooo nice.

Why?

Who all do you rank ahead of him in terms of two way production?

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[JWash]

Why?

Who all do you rank ahead of him in terms of two way production?

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Dude... top 3 bigman IS an exaggeration.

It's slightly possible he could be in the East, but in the west you have so many bigs who are and will be better Gasol, Dwight, Blake, Aldridge, Anthony Davis, Cousins, etc, that barring some kind of monumental increase in both JV's role and production next year there is no way he will be a top 3 big in the league.