The Memphis Grizzlies have become one of the better surprises this year and also one of the most exciting teams to watch this year. While their young core is great to watch, one name doesn’t get enough credit for his contribution to their success, Jonas Valanciunas.
Jonas Valanciunas Stats
Jonas Valanciunas is posting some of his best stats in his career. When he was acquired last year via trade, he was posting some of his best stats ever. However, since the emergence of many young pieces on the Grizzlies, his numbers have dipped but are still respectable. Currently, he is averaging 15.1 PPG on 59.4% shooting. That currently is 4th on the Grizzlies, only 0.3 behind 3rd on the team. That is also only 2.8 PPG behind the team’s leading scorer Ja Morant. Where Jonas Valanciunas makes most of his contribution is his rebounding. He averages a solid 10 RPG. Making him a walking double-double. That 10 RPG also makes him the teams leading rebounder by at least 3.8.
Jonas Valanciunas doesn’t get enough credit for how much he does for the Grizzlies. While I understand that Ja Morant gets the most credit and is the Rookie of the Year, Jonas Valanciunas is having one of his best seasons yet. While the Grizzlies are in 8th place in the West with no intention of slowing down, Jonas has been a key part of that. Of course, their young core is one of the best in the league, I like to give credit when it’s due. I wouldn’t be out of line to say he is the 2nd most important player on the Grizzlies due to his rebounding and producing enough points. Jonas is still only 27 and most of this Grizzlies squad is really young. We may very well be looking at one of the better teams in the West in the upcoming years. Only time will tell.
