NBA: Most likely first time All-Stars from each team: New Orleans Pelicans – Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas has always been a per 36 minutes monster. The 29-year-old is a beast on the glass and a very good scorer around the basket. The problem for Valanciunas throughout his career has been a lack of minutes. Now, as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, he’s getting all the playing time he can handle.
Valanciunas is really opening a few eyes on his newest team. The ever-productive big man is averaging career highs across the board with 17.3 points and 15 rebounds.
We don’t expect those numbers to stay the same all year but there’s no reason to believe that it won’t be relatively close. Valanciunas is a throwback big man. He plays with his back to the basket for the majority of the game and crashes the glass with the type of ferocity that you simply don’t see in the centers in today’s game.
There’s a real chance that Valanciunas gets rewarded for his terrific play with an All-Star Game selection. The Pelicans just need to win a few games this year. Considering that Zion Williamson is out of the lineup at the moment, winning doesn’t appear to be very likely for the Pelicans. At least not for now.