Midway through the first quarter of Game 1 of the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, a hulking figure made his way to a baseline seat in Scotiabank Arena. Decked out in a black leather jacket with a slick faded haircut, the massive figure shook hands with fans and waved in acknowledgement when he was greeted with a loud cheer after showing up on the jumbotron. The full celebrity treatment.
But this was no celebrity. It was Jonas Valanciunas.
The 7-foot Lithuanian center was vocal in his support of the Raptors throughout their run to the 2019 NBA Championship, showing no ill will towards the franchise that shipped him away at the trade deadline as part of the package that brought in Marc Gasol from Memphis.
The Raptors sent Valanciunas – along with Delon Wright, C.J. Miles, and a 2024 second-round draft pick – to the Grizzlies in exchange for Gasol, who went on to play an integral part in helping the team to its first title in franchise history. With the emergence of Pascal Siakam as a premier two-way threat and Serge Ibaka’s defense-first presence in the paint, the Raptors chose to swap out Valanciunas to acquire a playmaking big.
With a challenging road ahead for his native Lithuania in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, the extra experience as a go-to scorer for Memphis – as opposed to a role player with Toronto – may have been just what Valanciunas needed. Ranked as the No. 6 team in the world, Lithuania faces stiff competition in No. 11 Australia, No. 23 Canada, and No. 37 Senegal in the tournament’s ‘Group of Death’. Much of the team’s success will rely on how well Valanciunas and budding star Domantas Sabonis can work together in the post.
“Every time I step on a court wearing the national team jersey, I get goosebumps,” said Valanciunas in a May interview with FIBA. “It was always like that and I hope it will stay like this… Playing for the national team is the highest accolade for me, as a player and as a person.”
The midseason trade to Memphis ended a run of nearly seven seasons with the Raptors for Valanciunas, who was taken fifth overall by the team in the 2011 NBA Draft. The post anchor experienced his fair share of ups and downs with Toronto, at times looking like a double-double machine and nightly 20-20 threat.
In Memphis, however, Valanciunas was able to thrive.
With less offensive talent around him, the Grizzlies let their new low post star go to work. He notched 23 points and 10 rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs in his Memphis debut after being medically cleared to return from a thumb injury. He set a new career-high in scoring twice in ten days, notching 33 points and 15 rebounds on 20 March against the Houston Rockets before dropping 34 points and 20 rebounds on 30 March against the Phoenix Suns. He set a franchise record for most defensive rebounds in a game with 23 against the Orlando Magic.
It was a whirlwind month-and-a-half for the Lithuanian, culminating with a right ankle sprain on 31 March that knocked him out for the rest of the season. But the Grizzlies had seen enough. In 19 games with the team following the trade, Valanciunas averaged 19.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game, showcasing the well-rounded game that he had flashed intermittently with the Raptors. Memphis’ front office felt good enough about the center to ink him to a three-year, $45 million contract during the offseason.
Still just 27 years old, Valanciunas now figures to serve as a veteran leader of a young and talented Grizzlies team that features skilled youngsters such as 2019 No. 2 draft pick Ja Morant, Las Vegas Summer League MVP Brandon Clarke, and rookie standout Jaren Jackson Jr.
Trades to the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies have helped Lithuanian teammates Domantas Sabonis (left) and Jonas Valanciunas (right) blossom ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Like Valanciunas, Sabonis also found himself taking a gigantic step forward in a new environment. Traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder as soon as he was taken 11th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft as part of the deal that sent Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic, the 6-foot-11 big man was unable to assert himself in the Thunder’s lineup. An offseason trade to the Indiana Pacers, however, proved to unlock the 23-year-old’s potential.
Alongside Victor Oladipo, Sabonis has led the charge into the post-Paul George era for the Pacers, setting career-highs in nearly every statistical category this past season while finishing as a finalist for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. The son of legendary Lithuanian center Arvydas Sabonis, he averaged 14.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while establishing himself as a premier passing big man and a promising future star.
As Lithuania prepares to open its FIBA World Cup schedule against Senegal on 1 September, much of its success will be predicated on how well its multifaceted frontcourt duo works together. Both Valanciunas and Sabonis only played in two of Lithuania’s 12 European Qualifying games – wins over Poland and Hungary – but played well with each other in combining for 55 points, 27 rebounds, and 8 assists.
“Playing with Domantas was really a lot of fun and joy,” said Valanciunas. “Although under the new system there was only a week of preparation for both games and the format was quite unusual for all of us, I’m definitely looking forward to us stepping on a court together.”
With the giant steps forward their dynamic frontcourt duo made this past NBA season, Lithuanian fans should be just as excited as Valanciunas is.
