Monroe next big man up for Raptors
Popular veteran steps into backup role after thumb injury sidelines Valanciunas
The Toronto Raptors’ life without Jonas Valanciunas, for at least the next month, began Friday night in Portland.
Valanciunas has been mostly a bench guy for the Raptors this season behind Serge Ibaka at centre, but it would be unfair to discount the impact Valanciunas has had on the team’s success to date.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse was just finding a role for his Lithuanian big man while keeping Ibaka performing at the high level he’s maintained all year. Now Valanciunas will be laid up for at least a month, after having surgery on the left thumb he dislocated during an impressive win over the Warriors on Wednesday.
“My initial thoughts are that it sucks any time (for Valanciunas), but I think even more, with the way he was kind of rising with his play,” Nurse said. “All the stuff we’ve been working hard at, figuring out ways to keep him on the floor in different scenarios, and coverages and things, seemed to be working. So it’s a setback,” said Nurse.
If there’s a positive side to the story, it’s that the Raptors are stacked with big men, with veteran Greg Monroe ready to fill the void.
“The things that we really like about Greg are this: First of all, he’s a veteran, great locker-room voice, stuff you don’t even know when you sign him. Sometimes you’re hoping, or you may hear and do some homework on him, but he’s really a calming influence in the locker-room,” said Nurse. “He’s really a good guy, the players really like him, his IQ is pretty good and he can get you that odd bucket here and there.”
It’s unlikely Monroe will give the Raptors everything they lost in Valanciunas, but he’ll be a viable alternative.
“Next man up,” said Kyle Lowry said. “We’re going to miss ( Valanciunas) and can’t wait until he’s healthy and we get him back, but when he’s out, we have to focus on the next man being up, which is Greg, who’s very capable of doing the job”
DEFENCE GETTING THERE
The past two wins over first the Clippers and then the Warriors saw the Raptors hold their opponents under 100 points. They had done that only four times previously all season.
The real discrepancy in the Raptors’ play has been home and away. The team is the secondmost efficient team from a defensive standpoint in the 15 games played away from Scotiabank Arena.
Their record in those 15 games is 12-3.
At home, they’re ranked 16th in the NBA in defensive efficiency.
Danny Green, a man who puts as much emphasis on the defensive part of his game as offence, was at a loss to explain.
“Maybe on the road we come together more,” Green said. “We communicate better. We know we have to, according to the arena and the crowd. We know we’re going to have to come in and take wins. Maybe at home we get a little comfortable. But it’s early in the season and hard to tell.”