Everything Valanciunas

[JordanMariam14]

anybody know what JV is gonna be doing in the offseason?
honestly, this guy has so much potential i just hope everyone realizes it, nobody notices the raptors i swear!
at least chuck swirsky, (bad spelling) the bulls announcer said that he's gonna be a multi all star.

... can't wait!

[torch19]

Honestly, I think we are blessed to have this kid locked up for the next how many years. He's so enthusiastic & constantly battles inside. He's a true post presence & he's skilled to begin with -- good hands, has the running hook, mid range, free throw, high post passing. He has learned to slow down his pace a little bit which has resulted in less fouls in recent games.

Most of all, he has the Tyson Chandler attitude. He brings it & he does not back down from anyone (it helps that he doesn't get star struck because he doesn't strike me as someone who kept up with American culture back home). Once this kid bulks up & improves his awareness & post skills, he could be an all-star (and I predict he will become one by his 4th year.

I also like the Quincy Acy pick up. He too needs to bulk up but he brings the nasty & I've noticed that his defensive awareness is actually ahead of Jonas. He rotates fast, he's agile enough to recover in time & he constantly battles. It doesn't hurt that he has the mid range shot & can fairly finish well inside. He's a definite keeper & if he improves his body the same way as Amir, I can see him have similar impact off the bench.

I like our rookie class but all 3 need to chill with Amir this off season in the weight room.

[Rapstor4Life]

JV is likely the first Rap for life.

[isaacthompson]

JV is likely the first Rap for life.

Until this becomes a winning franchise, there is likely no Raptors for life ever.

[rocwell]

Until this becomes a winning franchise, there is likely no Raptors for life ever.

Well, I don't like how BC gives money to players like Demar, Fields. Demar investment sure, it's great, but overpaid in my opinion. That's huge amount for player who can't improve with his potential. If he continues giving up huge contracts to anyone, well, I doubt we'll resign JV after 3 years. JV is going to be solid center in the NBA, and he'll be wanted by many many teams. So...

[BadDinosaur]

Over the season I noticed one thing about JV's defensive rebounding:

The coaches of the Raps use him in 2 ways. In half of the games he is right under the basket battling for the defensive boards. The other 50% or so of games the Raps use him to box out one of the opponents bigs and Amir, Gay and Lowry do the rebounding. JV keeps one big completely out of the paint and does it with much succes, but his rebunding numbers suffer in those games. The last few games were a good example.

I don't know if they're gonna use the same strategy next year, but I would prefer JV going directly for the boards. I assume he's going to get stronger and put on some more weight over the offseason, which will help him in those rebounding battles and of course in the paint on offense and D. Can't wait for the next season and see Jonas 2.0 - the walking double-double

[isaacthompson]

Well, I don't like how BC gives money to players like Demar, Fields. Demar investment sure, it's great, but overpaid in my opinion. That's huge amount for player who can't improve with his potential. If he continues giving up huge contracts to anyone, well, I doubt we'll resign JV after 3 years. JV is going to be solid center in the NBA, and he'll be wanted by many many teams. So...

Mehhhhhh. Lots of DeMar haters on this board, but with the way he's gotten consistently better over his career is a bright spot. He has an amazing work ethic, and there's lots of room for improvement, like conditioning and long-range shooting. Only problem now is how his skill set will coincide with Rudy's.

[Chr1s1anL]

Over the season I noticed one thing about JV's defensive rebounding:

The coaches of the Raps use him in 2 ways. In half of the games he is right under the basket battling for the defensive boards. The other 50% or so of games the Raps use him to box out one of the opponents bigs and Amir, Gay and Lowry do the rebounding. JV keeps one big completely out of the paint and does it with much succes, but his rebunding numbers suffer in those games. The last few games were a good example.

I don't know if they're gonna use the same strategy next year, but I would prefer JV going directly for the boards. I assume he's going to get stronger and put on some more weight over the offseason, which will help him in those rebounding battles and of course in the paint on offense and D. Can't wait for the next season and see Jonas 2.0 - the walking double-double

I disagree.

[d749]

Mehhhhhh. Lots of DeMar haters on this board, but with the way he's gotten consistently better over his career is a bright spot. He has an amazing work ethic, and there's lots of room for improvement, like conditioning and long-range shooting. Only problem now is how his skill set will coincide with Rudy's.

Most of us aren't Demar haters but we've come to realize that he simply isn't worth the money, and doesn't fit in this role if were going to be a winning team. I love the guy, its hard not to like him and would hate to see him go, but I would like him much more as a 6th man at either wing where his scoring will be a big boost, and his defense wont be as big of a concern. Thats the only way I see Demars game being a positive factor in winning games.
And I've come to realize that he really hasn't improved that much numbers wise, if at all the last 3 years, he just has the ball in his hands more

[rocwell]

Mehhhhhh. Lots of DeMar haters on this board, but with the way he's gotten consistently better over his career is a bright spot. He has an amazing work ethic, and there's lots of room for improvement, like conditioning and long-range shooting. Only problem now is how his skill set will coincide with Rudy's.

Nahhh.. I don't hate Demar. I just want to see that improvement results. His potential was high all the time, and room for improvement WAS big too, everyone was talking about his amazin work ethic.. but I can't see any big changes, only slow and small improvement that means he can't live up to his potential. Don't get me wrong, he's great player, but he's definitely not worth 10m$ a year at this point of his career. 2-3 years later he'll be the player who is worth 10m$++ p/s for sure, but not now.

[stretch]

Alex Len, 7'1" center at Maryland via the Ukraine, declared for the draft. He reminds me of Jonas, a little bit taller, a little bit thinner. He's not as consistently aggressive as JV but he has a better jump shot. Most have Len as a late lottery pick. Check him out.

[Rapstor4Life]

Can also step outside and shoot the 3? omg lol DAM! haha. thats a nightmare of a matchup.

[ReubenJRD]

Can also step outside and shoot the 3? omg lol DAM! haha. thats a nightmare of a matchup.

Andrea Bargnani but with some effort.

[enlightenment]

Andrea Bargnani but with some effort.

Ughh.. what couldve been...

[omgsomuchpotential]

Interesting fact.

JV and Len played against each other a few years back (2010) in U18 Euro championships.

Lithuania then defeated Ukraine 81-61.

Val had 16pts / 7reb / 3blks in 28 minutes;
Len had 6pts / 2reb / 2blks in 16 minutes.

Val averaged 19pts/13reb during the tournament, while Len was averaging 16pts/11reb - however that wasn't enough to get his team compete for the medals. But it's worth mentioning that he is a year younger than JV so you could probably say his production/age ratio was on par with Jonas that tournament even though most of the games for Ukraine were meaningless, whereas JV actually fought for the gold and took the 1st place.