NBA: 10 most underrated performers of the season so far

2. Jonas Valanciunas

Jonas Valanciunas has been underrated for his entire career. He’s certainly not your modern-day big man, he likes to post-up and he’s far from an elite shot-blocker, but he’s still a really impactful player. Valanciunas has been a huge part of this young Memphis Grizzlies team both on and off the court. JV is a huge reason why this Grizzlies team is currently in a position to make the playoffs.

While Valanciunas is more of an old-school style big man, he continues to find a way to still have an impact in today’s NBA. He’s currently averaging 14.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in just 26.0 minutes!

His impact early in the game, establishing a post presence, establishing some early points in the paint and at the free-throw line opens up the floor for everybody else the rest of the game.

Not only does Valanciunas impact the Grizzlies positively on the offensive end of the floor, but his defensive impact is also significantly underrated. As mentioned, Jonas is averaging 1.1 blocks per game which is nothing to scoff at, especially considering he is only playing 26 minutes a night. Additionally, JV is more than capable of hanging with the league’s top big men such as Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns and while not ideal, he isn’t the worst big-man in the league at hanging with guards off a switch.