Jonas Valanciunas left the Toronto Raptors’ game against the Chicago Bulls in the first quarter with an apparent hand injury.
After scoring eight points with two rebounds and a block in the game’s opening 9:35, Valanciunas was subbed out and headed directly to the locker room with a towel over his hand. The team announced midway through the second quarter that Valanciunas is done for the game with a left-hand injury. X-rays were negative but he’ll undergo further testing.
X-rays negative on Jonas Valanciunas' left hand. He will not return. Further examination pending. #rtz
— RaptorsMR (@RaptorsMR) March 15, 2016
That’s the same hand Valanciunas fractured the fourth metacarpal on back in November, costing him 17 games. An update later in the game revealed that Valanciunas has a left hand contusion and will be treated “symptomatically” (as symptoms dictate, nothing to actually fix the cause, which is essentially a bruise). He’s probably day-to-day with an injury like that, but would seem somewhat unlikely for Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee.
While Valanciunas’ defensive play remains an up-and-down offering, he’s been providing a solid offensive punch for the team, particularly as Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have begun to look for him a little more. In games like this, his ability to punish smaller defenders inside is a way for him to make up for some of the issues presented by his pairing with Luis Scola on the defensive end.
On the season, Valanciunas is averaging 12.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 26.2 minutes while shooting 57.1 percent. The key to his offensive growth has been variety, not volume, something you can read about more here. The team’s been better with him on the court offensively, but that’s an edge they’ve given back and then some on defense, as the Scola-Valanciunas duo remains untenable against most opponents. Still, progress on one end is better than no progress at all, and he’s occasionally flashed better pick-and-roll defense, just not consistently enough for most.
Bismack Biyombo took over when Valanciunas left, immediately turning the ball over on a hilarious post-up attempt against Doug McDermott. Biyombo’s solid, of course, and it’s just one play, but it was funny. And in his defense, he scored a great sweeping hook shot against Jimmy Butler early in the second quarter. Biyombo filled in admirably as a starter earlier in the season and there’s nothing to suggest he wouldn’t be able to once again if necessary.
If Valanciunas is going to miss time, it could also mean some time for Lucas Nogueira, who played earlier and might be a little tired. His play has been all over the place across two levels this year, but he’s been able to provide a two-way spark and some major energy when called upon for meaningful NBA action. It could also open up time for recent signing Jason Thompson as a smaller five, or even Luis Scola as the de facto center, an option head coach Dwane Casey went to plenty when Valanciunas missed time earlier in the season.
The guess here is that Thompson is the backup center for the remainder of the game and possibly as long as Valanciunas is out. You’d like to see Nogueira get a look at some point, but getting Thompson minutes to get acclimated with the team and keep him in shape for potential matchup-specific usage in the playoffs is a worthwhile undertaking, too.
