NBA: Five Players Poised To Make The Jump Into Stardom This Season
By Ryan McNeill
Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors
Jonas Valanciunas is entering the final year of his rookie contract and he’s poised to get paid this upcoming summer.
Look for Valanciunas to post massive numbers this season when Dwane Casey finally takes off the chains and allows Valanciunas to play more than 35 minutes per game, while attempting more than 15 field goal attempts per game.
While 35 minutes and 15 FGA’s might not sound impressive, it’s worth noting that Valanciunas has failed to average more than 30 minutes per game so far in his career (his career-high was 28.9 in his second season). Last season, Valanciunas rarely played in the fourth quarter and only averaged 26.2 minutes per game. He also saw a dip in his minutes (26.2 from 28.9) and his field goal attempts (8.2 from 8.3). Both of those stats should change this season as Toronto will have a big man rotation of Valanciunas, Patrick Patterson, Bismack Biyombo and…well, that’s about it.
Toronto is short on traditional bigs and will look to play James Johnson and DeMarre Carroll at the four in small ball units.
This short rotation of bigs will allow Valanciunas to soak up all the minutes he can handle, while getting even more touches in the paint.
Next: Otto Porter