THE BIG GUY IS IMPROVING
Valanciunas getting inside
TORONTO Young players learn all sorts of lessons in their formative years in the NBA. You hear about them all the time: how to pace yourself for an 82-game season, what constitutes a good shot, how to eat well, how to improve within the context of team defence.
In his first few years, DeMar DeRozan learned a different lesson, one that is not discussed as often: never steal a big man’s rebound.
“If you take their rebounds, they’re going to get mad at you. (Jonas Valanciunas) is starting to get there. You can tell he’s becoming more aggressive when it comes to that rebounding, being able to get second-chance points. That comes with experience.
“When you’re young in the league, you don’t really pay attention to that. That’s definitely big, for him to give us an extra chance to continue to get buckets. And he wants the ball more in the post.”
It is that last part that has the Raptors excited about Valanciunas’s late-season progress, even as the team remains stuck. Offence has not been the Raptors’ biggest issue this season, but it could quickly become a problem against their two most likely first-round opponents as Washington and Milwaukee are the two stingiest teams in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee, in particular, has a host of defenders that could frustrate DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams, but is not especially equipped to control Valanciunas down low.
To that end, the Raptors will need Valanciunas to create good offensive looks inside. He is shooting 57 per cent from the floor this year, with his turnover rate dropping from last year, as well. Both of those things start with him catching the ball closer to the basket.
“That’s my job, to be inside the paint,” Valanciunas said.
The Raptors have been trying to live by a rule that discourages Valanciunas’s teammates from passing him the ball unless he has established a relatively deep post position. Most of the centre’s early-season issues occurred when he had to take too many dribbles with his back to the basket to get to a spot where he could shoot comfortably.
It is not just Valanciunas’s shots that have been positively affected. He now looks like a far more comfortable passer. When doubled against Boston, Valanciunas found an open Greivis Vasquez for a threepointer on Saturday night.
Valanciunas has 10 assists over the last seven games, which does not sound impressive until you consider he went 11 straight games without an assist in January. Overall, he has been more assertive in various aspects of the game. That might not be enough to fix this year’s Raptors, but it certainly portends well for seasons to come.