Toronto Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas Faces Make-Or-Break Season

Jonas Valanciunas is entering a make-or-break season. He can either respond to his critics, or the Toronto Raptors may be forced to make a difficult decision.

If you watched the first two rounds of the playoffs for the Toronto Raptors, you noticed Jonas Valanciunas. The big man in the middle was arguably the best player for the Raptors prior to going down with an injury against the Miami Heat.

Valanciunas averaged 13.6 points and 11.9 rebounds a game against the Indiana Pacers. He followed that up with 18.3 points and 12.6 rebounds through the first three games against the Heat–stats he accumulated in a matchup against the physically dominant Hassan Whiteside.

His play in the postseason was a much anticipated breakthrough for the former fifth overall pick. At 24 years old, he is at the point of his career where centers typically blossom into the player they will be during their prime.

He hasn’t always received consistent touches during his time with the Raptors. You can attribute some of that to their perimeter heavy attack. But his assertiveness in establishing position hasn’t always been there.

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The flashes of dominant play, followed by lulls in his game can be frustrating to watch at times.

That frustration seemed to boil over at the Olympics with Valanciunas playing for Lithuania. Lithuanian head coach Jonas Kazlauskas had the following to say about Valanciunas following a disappointing Olympics:

"I wish him to understand, that if you live only by talent, this fairy-tale can end one day."

After averaging a measly 6.9 points a game on 39 percent shooting, Valanciunas acknowledged he needs to be better:

"I was pretty bad, I got to do something with my head."

The Raptors will undoubtedly try to run more sets for Valanciunas in the future. But the reality is that they have so much success with the status quo, it will be up to Jonas to get to the point where they can no longer overlook him on offense.

Great players typically go out and make things happen for themselves, rather than waiting to be catered to. Part of why Valanciunas was so effective in the playoffs was the fact that he was fighting for rebounds and position in the post.

You could tell that he wanted the ball and was looking to create opportunities.

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This is the mindset he must have next season for the Raptors. With the Raptors selecting

in the lottery this season, it adds even more pressure for Jonas to perform. It has been a struggle to get him looks within the flow of the offense.

Post touches typically come at the expense of game flow and leads to everybody else standing around.

The success the Raptors had last season with Bismack Biyombo could suggest that they are better off with a low-usage center. Biyombo was able to free up their wings with his screens and didn’t command post touches.

The key will be for Valanciunas to move better without the ball, find holes in the defense and maintain focus throughout the game. He has shown that he can be a dominant force, there are no excuses anymore for lackluster effort and focus.

He must bring it on both sides of a court and find a way to consistently make an impact on both ends of the floor. The Raptors are relying on him taking the next step in order for the franchise to take another step forward.

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If he fails to answer the bell, the franchise may need to look elsewhere for a cornerstone of the future.