Toronto Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas Better Than Andre Drummond
By Matt Shantz
The Toronto Raptors have never led the Eastern Conference this late in the season. That’s the good news. The bad news is that their season is still just a mere seven games old.
But for Toronto, the good news has easily surpassed the bad on the season, which isn’t something that the franchise is used to. Twenty years into their existence and Toronto has had very few things that have inspired their fan base.
Twenty years, six playoff appearances, and only once have the Raptors escaped the first round (2000-01).
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Outside of Vince Carter and the Vin-sanity that brought the franchise to relevance so many years ago, last season’s unexpected run to the playoffs, and it’s brutal last-second Game 7 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, is one of the most meaningful moments in franchise history.
For 20 years Raptor fans have been dying to cheer for a winner. We saw it on the faces that not only filled the arena, but filled the square outside the arena to watch on a projection screen.
Fans even lined the streets surrounding the square in the cold and the rain, and sometimes both, just to feel like they were a part of the action.
This is why Jonas Valanciunas is so adored in Toronto. While the Raptors struggled to a record of 23-43 in 2011-12, fans were able to look overseas to the promise of their 2011 first round pick, and were able to revel in Jonas’ MVP performance at the 2011 FUBA Under-19 World Championship.
At one of the darkest times in franchise history (which is saying something), Jonas represented hope, and after a promising rookie year in Toronto, Jonas ran away with the 2013 Las Vegas Summer League MVP.
Jonas and hope go hand-in-hand for Toronto.
The Toronto Raptors finally had a potential star to call their own … which was exactly what went through the mind of Bryan Colangelo when he selected Terrence Ross with the eighth overall pick in 2012, effectively passing over what many believed to be the star potential of Andre Drummond.
Drummond, the 6’10”, 270-pound center out of the University of Connecticut, was generally believed to be the most talented player in the draft outside of Anthony Davis.
His potential to be a star NBA center was making scouts salivate, and yet it wasn’t a huge surprise to see him slide on draft night, and allowing the Detroit Pistons to grab him with the ninth pick.
Drummond was plagued by questions about character issues, whether he truly loved the game, and whether he had the work ethic to be truly great.
For this reason alone, Valanciunas will now be forever linked to Drummond in the mind of Raptor fans, perhaps even more so than Ross.
Before the start of the season, ESPN ranked the top 500 players in the NBA. Drummond was listed as 30th best player in the NBA, whereas Valanciunas was barely included in the top 100, coming in at 91.
While Drummond may be one year younger, and despite what ESPN says, Jonas Valanciunas is not only a better fit for the Raptors, but is also simply a better player than Andre Drummond.
Both players have started six games so far in the 2014-15 season, but despite playing in the same number of games, Drummond has averaged 4.5 extra minutes per game than Valanciunas.
Jonas’ minutes have been negatively impacted by a 13 minute performance versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game that he left due to a hand contusion and a bloody nose. For greater accuracy in comparing the two, one should look at their 36 minute averages.
| Player | FGA | FG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Drummond | 13.9 | .453 | 1.5 | 4.3 | .350 | 5.2 | 10.0 | 15.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 5.4 | 14.1 |
| Jonas Valanciunas | 10.6 | .512 | 6.7 | 8.0 | .839 | 3.4 | 7.8 | 11.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 4.7 | 17.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/10/2014.
Their advanced stats tell a similar picture, where Drummonds only advantages lie in a higher rebound percentage and usage percentage, with a slightly lower turnover percentage.
| Player | PER | TS% | FTr | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | WS/48 | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Drummond | 16.1 | .446 | .313 | 22.4 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 11.0 | 22.0 | .070 | -5.7 | 0.4 | -5.4 | -0.1 |
| Jonas Valanciunas | 21.5 | .622 | .756 | 18.0 | 4.6 | 0.4 | 5.8 | 12.8 | 19.9 | .242 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/10/2014.
Above all though, Valanciunas has shown an ability to be a part of a winning team. This winning is not due to Jonas’ presence, just as the losing in Detroit cannot be attributed solely to Drummond.
But winning is the ultimate goal, so this has to come into the picture. Valanciunas has successfully fit into a winning team, while also finding ways to develop and improve his game each season.
When looking at the full picture though, Valanciunas trumps Drummond both on the scoresheet, and in the win column.