Jonas Valanciunas's Ceiling...?

[2KJ]

I wouldn't say that Hakeem embarrassed Shaq in the finals. Hakeem had some clutch moments but overall both of them played great. Houston supporting cast played great in that series. Drexler was awesome. Horry was great. A great shooting team + shorter 3pt line that season.
On the other hand, Penny was not aggressive for long stretches of these games, despite the fact that Houston couldn't guard him at all.

True. I was just using the term that Shaq himself used with regards to Hakeem. In fact, Shaq held his own and played well vs Hakeem compared to how Robinson and Ewing did. He probably used that term as they got swept.

[Superjudge]

He's a lot smoother than he was last year with his moves, since he had ZERO moves last year. He would just bull his way on the backdown. Now he has good work on his running hook, a solid left block move where he often seals his man so he can finish either with a lefty hook or a chipshot. His touch is pretty soft and has been for awhile. His footwork needs improvement in terms of fluidity, but it's miles ahead of where he was a year ago. He's not a finesse player, but he has good finesse level for a guy who will likely have a lot of "power" in his game.

Ya i see the improvement. Just not the skill yet. I'm not giving up... i just dont see "elite" on this guy. I mean, Hakeem was elite. JV is NOT Hakeem.

[white men can't jump]

Ya i see the improvement. Just not the skill yet. I'm not giving up... i just dont see "elite" on this guy. I mean, Hakeem was elite. JV is NOT Hakeem.

Nobody is Hakeem. It's so hard to compare across eras, but it's not crazy to suggest Hakeem may have been the best big man of all time and may have dominated any era had he been born a different year.

JV may not be that elite, but just a handful of guys are over the whole history of the NBA.

[JimiCliff]

Where is all this "skill" you guys are seeing? JV looks like a mechanical bull when he has the ball.

His counter-left, where he spins left and shoots a short, soft jumper, is a better counter than what you see in maybe 90% of all other traditional bigs.

[Superjudge]

I'd post his ass back up on fire!

[draftedraptor]

True, guys like Horford, Al Jefferson, Prime Dwight Howard are good comparisons too. Maybe even Greg Monroe, Demarcus Cousins, Roy Hibbert. Tim Duncan at most too. My point is that Jonas is too skilled to just be a big who just rebounds, blocks shots, scores on putbacks and alley oops like Jordan, Chandler, Noah, Drummond, McGee, etc.

http://www.nba.com/video/games/pisto...det-play3.nba/

what you described is exactly what all-star centers are good at. Not sure Jonas can ever do the windmill. The difference between Duncan and Jonas is huge. He needs a refined post-game to be an all-star.

[2KJ]

http://www.nba.com/video/games/pisto...det-play3.nba/

what you described is exactly what all-star centers are good at. Not sure Jonas can ever do the windmill. The difference between Duncan and Jonas is huge. He needs a refined post-game to be an all-star.

LOL I don't care if Jonas can do a windmill or not. And yeah, unfortunately in today's game where it is perimeter based, centres aren't the main focal point of the offense anymore. Of course, Duncan is the greatest pf of all time. But Jonas has the potential to pattern his game after Duncan than be a Tyson Chandler who is very good defensively but very limited offensively.

[S.R.]

Not talking playing style here, but just calibre of player for JV's ceiling:
- Gortat would be a minimum
- Pau or Bynum (healthy) a realistic maximum
- Horford or Noah a most likely median

Not at all worried about 20/10. You don't need your C to give you 20. Need him to anchor the D, rebound, set the tone, be tenacious, block shots, change shots in the paint, demand respect at both ends of the floor, allow the O to play inside out, draw the occasional double team, pass well out of the post, etc.

A good C changes the whole game by doing multiple things well. 20 points is neither here nor there - so many guys can put up 20 while taking away as much as they give.

Don't need him to have any more range than a 15 foot J. That's enough to create space, and you want him near the basket in general. JV and Amir are really good on the offensive glass.

[NoPropsneeded]

Lack of physical athletic gifts -- power/speed -- limits him to something like Bill Cartwright or LaSalle Thompson. Still much better than the old "bindlestiff" center like Luc Longley (those guys aren't in the league anymore since the handchecking rules were changed), but not the centrepiece on a winning team. A good complementary piece. A shade behind someone like Ron Seikaly, a shade ahead of Olden Polynice. Looking ahead, without significant improvement, I wouldn't offer him an extension past his rookie deal without letting the rest of the league set the price through RFA (unless the Raps are at that time a 55 win team). Given a moderate price not much more than he's getting now, I would bring him back, otherwise he's gone, and that's the story of him.

What have you been smoking buddy?
JV is a top 3 C in the league by the time he hits 25 book it.

[JawsGT]

For a second year player I think he is doing pretty good. His positioning, which I though was the weakest part of his game early this season, has clearly improved. He battles for position on both ends, and is now putting up some good rebound numbers as a result. I can see him becoming a top rebounder in the league within the next couple of seasons, given he gets the 30+ minutes going forward. I also think he will be a better than average shot blocker. His offensive game is still raw of course, but there is no real reason not to suspect it can get better. He can shoot, but needs more work in the post. He has only been getting that attention in the post since the Rudy trade, so I'm expecting we will see some improvement there even before the season ends. Hopefully, that will be a priority in the offseason, and maybe he adds another move or two in the post. I think Jonas is going to be real good, definitely one of the better two way C's in a couple of seasons.

I don't really want to compare to other players, but I could see him averaging 15-18 ppg, 10-12 rpg, 1.5-2.0 bpg, 2-3 apg with maybe another three seasons under his belt.

[RandomGuy]

Lack of physical athletic gifts -- power/speed -- limits him to something like Bill Cartwright or LaSalle Thompson. Still much better than the old "bindlestiff" center like Luc Longley (those guys aren't in the league anymore since the handchecking rules were changed), but not the centrepiece on a winning team. A good complementary piece. A shade behind someone like Ron Seikaly, a shade ahead of Olden Polynice. Looking ahead, without significant improvement, I wouldn't offer him an extension past his rookie deal without letting the rest of the league set the price through RFA (unless the Raps are at that time a 55 win team). Given a moderate price not much more than he's getting now, I would bring him back, otherwise he's gone, and that's the story of him.

Not worth an extension... Mind blown. [Best way to make others remmember your nickname]

[e_wheazhy_]

Not worth an extension... Mind blown. [Best way to make others remmember your nickname]

Or just be straight up Brandon


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[KHD]

Rather have 15 and 12 with 1.5+ blocks than 20 and 10. Either way would be alright with me though.

[JRedmond14]

I think JV's ceiling is a poor man's Tim Duncan. His game reminds me a lot of Duncan's but I don't think JV will ever be as consistent offensively as Duncan. I also think that JV has the potential to affect the defensive end like Hibbert. It seems a lot of people on here are underestimating his ceiling because he may look lost at times or seem like hes not even a factor on the court but under a coach like Dwane Casey, who is not the best at developing young players, he often doesn't look his best. Since the Rudy Gay trade as well as the increased playing time, he has been an animal. Hopefully this brief period is just the start of Big Val's potential!

[BigCamB]

Rather have 15 and 12 with 1.5+ blocks than 20 and 10. Either way would be alright with me though.

Agreed, I'd love him to be the next Kareem and average 33 and 15,but he aint Kareem and league is totally different now. I dunno who he currently compares to in terms of his actual style, he seems a little unique in what he does, just different bits and pieces from various players. but I can see him being a 17-13 guy, and would be delighted if he got to that level. He will definitely be right up there in rebounding, he just works so hard. Also offensive rebounding, which i think is so important, getting second and third chances, he's got that ability.
His mid range shot looks a little weird, but the touch looks fine and I think he'll eventually be reliable from mid range down the road. Defensively he is improving slowly, which is fine. I watched Andrew Bogut come into the league, he originally wasn't anything special defensively, 5-6 years later he lead the league in blocks and is generally a great rim protector these days. I was never that worried about JV's defense, it will, and is, coming around.