The Olympics were going to be the coming out party for soon-to-be Raptor Jonas Valanciunas, the No. 5 pick of the Raptors from the 2011 NBA draft who will join Toronto next season.
Except, it hasn’t been that way at all.
What he’ll be most remembered for from these games is Kobe Bryant elbowing him in the throat on a drive to the lane.
Valanciunas impressed scouts in his European games and previous age-restricted international tournaments — particularly on the defensive end — but in the Olympics he has looked like a project. He’s long, he’s athletic and moves well, but his offensive game has not been pretty.
Even his Lithuanian coach Kestutis Kemzura is saying he needs to work and slow down his game, reports the Sporting News.
Valanciunas is playing about 11 minutes a game for Lithuania, giving the side about 3 points and 3 rebounds a game, and he has at time struggled with fouls. He has not been impressive, and rushing is a good way to describe how he has looked. He has looked like a guy who has pushed to make plays on offense rather than let the game come to him.
Raptors fans, he’s still a project. Just know that going in. But he can give you some good defense from the start and Dwane Casey is the perfect coach to bring that out of him. It’s going to take a couple years. He still should be a good player, one better than Tristan Thomas if you ask a lot of people (sorry Cavs fans) but it’s still going to take some time.