Toronto Raptors: 5 goals for Jonas Valanciunas in 2017-18
4. Average 10 rebounds per game
Jonas Valanciunas has seen his rebounding averages steadily climb each year he has been in the league.
A year ago, Valanciunas posted a career-high of 9.5 rebounds a game, the 14th highest average in the NBA. The seven-footer finished just 41 rebounds shy of averaging 10 rebounds a game, joining an exclusive club that featured just 12 members a year ago.
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Valanciunas appeared in 80 games, pulling down 10 or more rebounds on 39 occasions, the most double-digit rebounding efforts he has ever totaled in his five-year career.
The defensive responsibilities for Valanciunas shifted a bit after the Raptors acquired power forward Serge Ibaka, as his rebounding average dipped to 8.7 per game in the 25 games the two played together.
The center out of Lithuania matched a career-high with 226 offensive rebounds, the 11th-highest total in the NBA — among the reasons Toronto posted the sixth-best offensive rating in the league.
If Valanciunas can continue his upward trajectory in rebounding, while giving his team additional scoring opportunities, the Raptors may choose to hang onto him past this year.