If only every controversial draft pick were as lucky as Jonas Valanciunas.
The seven-foot Lithuanian was hardly greeted warmed by the faithful of the Toronto Raptors when he was selected fifth-overall in the 2011 NBA draft. Their ire was further elevated when it was confirmed that Valanciunas would not be making his way to Toronto for another season, meaning the struggling Raptors would see no immediate benefit from their high draft status. Combine all of that with the fact that Valanciunas seemed like just another European fascination for GM Bryan Colangelo and poor JV was going to face a steep uphill climb to reach respectability in Raptor-land.
Fortunately for him, this summer provided him with an exceptional toe-hold for that trek.
Immediately after being introduced to the Toronto media after the draft, Valanciunas was whisked back to Lithuania to prepare for the FIBA Under-19 Championships. Within three weeks of being selected fifth-overall, Valanciunas easily walked away with the tournament's MVP trophy with 23 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 3.2 bpg averages and a gold medal around his neck. His domination of the tournament was thorough, and for many Raptors’ followers it was their first exposure to Valanciunas on the court, so what they saw had to please them. He was a rebounding and defensive terror, a willing banger and an eager screen setter and he flashed more emotion after one dunk than Andrea Bargnani has flashed in five years. Needless to say, he had several rethinking their early judgements.
However, the truth was that the U19 tournament was a bit of a mirage. While you always prefer for guys to dominate games that they should dominate, the fact remains that he merely did what was expected of him. He had similarly won the MVP award at the U18 tournament the year before and doing any less than the same this summer would have been a disappointment. Not to take anything away from the achievement, but to those who were familiar with his game, the July tournament was nothing to get excited about.
What was worth anticipating, however, was the end-of-summer European Championships, the tournament that the big boys play and the one that Valanciunas was cordially invited to participate in. No more going up against teenagers here; in this tournament he’d be going up against NBA-calibre big men - if he could demonstrate enough on the court to persuade his coach to put him in the game. Remember, at just 19-years-old, Valanciunas is not only five years younger than any of his national team teammates, but he’s a relative pup in terms of this level of international competition. In the first few games in this tournament Valanciunas was barely able to get any run, including only four minutes in game one against Great Britain and zero minutes against Turkey and their NBA center, Omer Asik. It looked early as if Valanciunas was going to have to wait his turn, as they say, when it came to playing with men of the senior team.
However, what little time he received he did manage to capitalize on, and keeping him on the bench became harder and harder as the tournament rolled on. Valanciunas has been the prototypical example of the kind of player that makes things happen when he is on the court. While his inexperience and overeagerness sometimes shine through with an overabundance of fouls or turnovers, the positives have greatly outweighed the negatives, especially in Wednesday’s round-two victory over Serbia where Valanciunas chipped in 18 points (on 8-of-9 shooting), 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in just 20 minutes of play. His activity extended beyond the box score as well, as he was able to use his size and his dexterity in the pick-and-roll to free up several of his teammates for easier shots on the perimeter.
It’s worth noting, too, that he spent much of that game being guarded by NBA center Nenad Krstic, and will need to utilize that experience in the coming days as he faces off against France on September 9th (Joakim Noah) and Germany on September 11th (Chris Kaman) in a continued test of his potential as an NBA center for the Toronto Raptors.
Because for Toronto fans, that’s what all of this is really about. While some may have a vested interest in the success of the Lithuanian national team, most folks in Canada are concerned primarily with what this success in Lithuania (where the tournament is being played, incidentally) will mean for his transition to Toronto for the 2012-2013 season. Many thought, even the more optimistic of prognosticators, that Valanciunas was still years away contributing meaningfully at the NBA level. That while his skills and focus were undeniable, his body and mind still needed maturing for another year and beyond before he could be counted on substantially in the NBA. That may still be true, but he’s hardly looked out of place against so far (he scored 13 points against the Gasol brothers of Spain) and if he can continue to his steady improvement over the last days of the tournament, he could have Colangelo rethinking his free agency plans should the NBA lockout end with enough time to save the 2011-2012 season. Remember, both he and Dwane Casey spoke frequently about adding a legit center to the squad with their available free agent cash, even after Valanciunas was drafted at the end of June. However, one has to wonder how the play of Valanciunas this summer affects those plans, especially as it pertains to inking a lucrative multi-year deal with a guy who could be supplanted the day Valanciunas walks through the ACC doors.
For now, though, Valanciunas should consider himself lucky for having this chance to demonstrate for his future fan base why he was taken by the Raptors in one of their most important drafts in team history. Instead of facing a summer of discontent from the Raptors’ vocal fans, he’s had a platform made available to him to change their minds about him, and he’s used that platform to incredibly effect. He’s got another season with Lietuvos Rytas, along with a possible trip to the London Olympics, before he dons number 17 for Toronto, but by the time he arrives he should expect a much different welcome than the one he received his June thanks to his splendid play this summer.
