Toronto Raptors: 3 things to watch for against the Hornets

2. Jonas Valanciunas is going to have his hands full

Tonight, Jonas Valanciunas is going to be going up against Dwight Howard. Even though Howard gets some flak for not being as dominant as he once was, he is still putting up big numbers. So far this season, Howard is averaging 15.2 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.

What stands out between these two stats is the rebounding. This season Howard is averaging 3.9 offensive rebounds per game. What does this mean? More opportunities for second-chance points.

This cannot happen if the Raptors want to pick up a win tonight. Valanciunas needs to be able to put a body on Howard and get those rebounds his team needs.

Let’s go back to when the Raptors played the Pelicans a few weeks ago. Valanciunas was able to hold DeMarcus Cousins to under his season average for rebounds with only nine. If he can replicate a performance like that, then the Raptors will be in good shape. But it’s never easy to slow down someone like Howard down low.