Toronto Raptors: 2015-16 Season Outlook
By Phil Watson
Three Key Storylines
1. Can Jonas Valanciunas make the much-predicted leap in 2015-16?
It’s coming. Trust us.
We’ve been hearing since big Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas signed with the Raptors in 2012 that he was on the cusp of stardom.
Three years later and it appears that was a pretty big cusp he was trying to break through.
The next time he averages even 30 minutes a game for a season will be the first. He’s uber-efficient, shooting 57.2 percent from the floor last year, but he only got eight shots a game.
More from Toronto Raptors
- NBA Trades: 10 Pascal Siakam deals the Raptors must consider
- Grade the Trade: Warriors become title-favs in proposed deal with Raptors
- NBA Trades: Memphis bolsters their roster in this deal with Toronto
- NBA Trades: This Pelicans-Raptors deal would send a star to the Big Easy
- 3 NBA teams facing do-or-die 2023–2024 seasons
His scoring bumped up last season to 12 points a night, his assists are still negligible (39 in 80 games in today’s catch-and-shoot NBA is a glaring problem) and his rim protecting abilities are average.
According to Nylon Calculus, Valanciunas saved 2.01 points per 36 minutes (1.46 per game) at the rim last season, allowing opponents to shoot 46.5 percent and contesting almost half (49.7 percent) of the shots he faced.
And therein lies the rub with Valanciunas. His 5.5 fouls per 36 minutes last season was the best mark of his career, down from 5.7 in 2013-14 and an astonishing 6.7 as a rookie in 2012-13.
Simply put, the guy is in foul trouble almost from the opening tip.
Until he fixes that problem, we’re still going to keep hearing the “on the cusp of stardom” thing.
Next: Storyline: Is Less Kyle Lowry More For The Raptors?