Toronto Raptors 2016-17 player grades: The starters

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Apr 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) shoots for a basket over Milwaukee Bucks forward Thon Maker (7) in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Jonas Valanciunas

Jonas Valanciunas is the exact player the NBA has left behind. He’s a burly seven-footer without three-point range whose slow feet can be exposed on defense.

Valanciunas isn’t just Jahlil Okafor Adjacent, though. For his entire career, he’s been an absurdly efficient offensive player and a terrific rebounder. He’s still that. And he was still that in 2016-17. But as a young center supposedly on the rise, Valanciunas didn’t show much growth.

The big Lithuanian is still a reluctant passer on offense, meaning he’s limited to post-ups and hard rolls to the basket. To date, he hasn’t developed much of an elbow game.

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Defensively, Valanciunas can still be played off the court. He averaged just 22.6 minutes per game in the playoffs, and in that time, opponents scored 111 points per 100 possessions. With Valanicunas on the bench, that number dipped to 105.2.

Make no mistake, Valanciunas maintained a high level of play this season. His $14.4 million salary was manageable, and looked much better than Carroll’s deal.

The acquisition of Ibaka was unlucky for Valanciunas. Despite possessing the range and defensive ability that Valanciunas lacks, Ibaka simply couldn’t coexist with Valanciunas. If Ibaka re-ups with Toronto, that fit may be a concern moving forward. Ibaka ultimately played 69 percent of his playoff minutes at the 5, which is the only position Valanciunas can credibly play.

Valanciunas is still just 25 years old and he deserves more time to become the dominant paint player he has the potential to be. In my opinion, actively shopping him in order to accommodate Ibaka would be a mistake.

Grade: C+

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