Freshen up an exciting season New Orleans Pelicans enter the 2022-2023 campaign with high expectations, fueled in large part by the imminent return of Zion Williamson. And although the impact of the fully recovered young man will be the one that drives the team Jonas Valanciunas who may hold the key to unlocking the Pels’ potential.
In today’s NBA, a starting lineup with two giants isn’t exactly the norm, which the pair does Jonas Valanciunas and Zion Williamson it’s a bit hard to imagine on the field. Since both players operate mainly in the color, how will they coexist in the age of rhythm and space?
All you have to do is watch the show Valanciunas with the Lithuanian national team Eurobasket 2022 to get an idea, since he shares the field with the two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis.
Obviously this isn’t exactly the best comparison between the two players, as Williamson is 5 inches shorter, about 40 pounds heavier, and their styles are different. But beyond that there are other numbers that draw attention.
Last NBA season, two-thirds of Sabonis’ offense came in the paint, where he averaged 12.5 points per game, ranking 10th in the league in that regard. What happened the last time Williamson was healthy? Average 20.3 points in that area per night, the highest percentage in the league and on par with Shaquille O’Neal.
In each of the last two seasons, Valanciunas’ area production has been among the best in the NBA. He averaged his fewest points last season in 2021-2022 for the first time in five years, and yet was enough to carry the Pelicans through that stretch. Which is not exactly a coincidence.
While the game in FIBA and the NBA is quite different, the ways the Lithuanian bigs work together provides insight into how Valanciunas can play to his strengths with the Pelicans while also giving Williamson room to shine.
open field
Despite averaging his fewest points in the paint since 2017-18 (a year in which he averaged 12.7 points per night), Valanciunas has 17.8 goals per game last season, the best record of his career. This was because he increased his shooting volume from 3-point range with 1.3 turnovers and a 51.7% success rate, the highest in the league.
To be clear, Valanciunas wouldn’t play to his strengths by becoming a wide five, but his development as a shooter could unlock offensive possibilities for those he shares the floor with.
Opposing defenses would rather give up a three-pointer from Lithuanian than a drive from Williamson, but tough decisions will be made on nights when Valanciunas is on the bench with Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy or Devonte’ Graham .
Jonas is GONE
39 PMS
7-8 from 3️⃣
15 REB
3AST
2 STLs #WBD pic.twitter.com/yb3HXoRtbc— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 30, 2021
Of course, the above example is probably a one-off performance from Valanciunas, but if he’s a threat to hit at least one 3-pointer a night, the Pelicans might have plenty of cap space for him Williamson can attack the rim again and again.
You will face many situations like these:
connection between large
In addition to having the best scoring average last season, Valanciunas produced 2.6 assiststhe best of his career too, as a result of his skill and vision for the game.
Valanciunas won this Eurobasket gives 5 assists in loss to Germany.
The offensive space is very different from the NBA, but he was able to connect with Sabonis several times in actions like this:
Can you imagine Valanciunas in the high post finding a cut from Williamson for a finish? 9 times out of 10, he would be a problem for opposing defenses.
Sabonis later even returned the favor to Valanciunas, which “Point of Zion“, who averaged 4.2 assists in the final 17 games of the 2020-2021 season, he would surely get it as well.
Dirty job
While it is important to recognize his ability Valanciunas to score and passthose two aspects of his game aren’t exactly what he’s known for.
Entering the tenth season of his career, Valanciunas has earned a reputation as one of the most physical big men in the competition. Thanks largely to its size, the Lithuanian is capable of producing double figures without apparent effort.
The inside is naturally imposing in its own right, which joins Williamson who has always managed to make a place for himself despite the toughness of the opposition. Valanciunas’ presence could make some defenses think twice before going for the young winger.
The last time Williamson played a game, he shared the floor with another physically imposing player in Steven Adams. The next time he does, it will be with someone very similar but more offensively gifted.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.
