The New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies recently came to an agreement on a deal that swapped the two strongest players in the league for one another.
While Steven Adams and Jonas Valanciunas may be pretty even in terms of strength, Jonas will prove to be a much better overall fit with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Zion and Steven Adams were a force to be dealt with last season in the paint, but there was one thing that was missing that could’ve helped this team tremendously – A big that has the ability to spread the floor when needed.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jonas Valanciunas is a big upgrade over Steven Adams
I can’t recall a single moment last season when Steven Adams would even think about attempting a jump shot. At most, he would go for a sort of floater from around the paint. He was no threat whatsoever over 10 feet away from the basket.
And don’t even get me started on free throws. Steven Adams shot 44% from the free throw line last season. This is one of the worst percentages to shoot from the free throw line of all time.
The fit was just not there with the Pels and I’m not sure what David Griffin saw in him to sign him to extension before even playing a game in a Pelicans uniform, but luckily the Pelicans escaped that situation.
Jonas Valanciunas has a style of play that is much more catered toward playing alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Although I must say, I will sort of miss seeing Aquaman in a Pelicans’ uniform.
New Orleans Pelicans: What Jonas Valanciunas brings to the table
Jonas Valanciunas is one of the most underrated centers in the league. When you hear people talking about the best centers, you probably wouldn’t hear him mentioned. He is without a doubt one of the top 10 centers in today’s league.
Jonas averaged 17.1 PPG and 12.5 RPG last season. He was pretty much the Grizzlies’ second option on offense, behind Ja Morant. That’s saying a lot considering this Grizzlies team made it to the playoffs and had a real chance at taking down the number 1 seed Jazz.
He brings a variety of skills to the table such as – high energy, hustler/hard worker, can create plays out of the post, PnR expert, floor spacer, he’s a beast on the boards, and he can knock down free throws like a guard.
But I’m only going to go into depth about some of his most important attributes.
Spreading the floor
Jonas Valanciunas isn’t Steph Curry or anything, but he has had a few games where he’s knocked down multiple 3 pointers. The good thing is that JV understands his role as well as his range and he knows where his true abilities lie, so you won’t catch him taking ten 3 pointers a game or anything like that.
He took around one 3 pointer a game last season and made about 37% of them. He may be attempting more this year playing alongside Zion, but if he’s shooting at that rate then the Pelicans are in good shape.
To go along with that he also has a consistent midrange shot, can shoot free throws (78% on his career), and even has a nice post fadeaway. Three more things that Steven Adams did not have.
Being able to spread the floor helps the Pelicans immensely because it opens up the paint area and makes it loads easier to score inside. And when you have a player that leads the league in PPG in the paint this is a huge asset.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jonas Valanciunas is a pick and roll expert
I can already see it now – a Brandon Ingram/Jonas Valanciunas pick and roll working to perfection… When a team has two players like this, the Pick and Roll can be one of the most unstoppable plays in the game. Just think of how well the CP3 and Ayton PnR worked for the Suns in these past playoffs.
At 7’0 265 lbs, Jonas will be setting screens that are impossible to get around. Either the big will have to back down and wait for the guard to recover, or he will have to swap which creates a mismatch both ways.
Last season Adams was able to set some solid screens, but he wasn’t exactly a threat when rolling to the basket. Jonas on the other hand can catch the ball and make a play whether it be dunking all over the opposing team or kicking it out to a 3-point shooter. Not only that, but Brandon Ingram’s midrange game is on lock, so if the big doesn’t step up to contest it’s an easy bucket.
High Energy and Hard Worker
When you think about players that give it their all on every single possession, Jonas Valanciunas’ name comes to mind. If you have ever watched him play, you can tell that he loves the game of basketball and does whatever it takes to win. He battles for second chance points (2nd in the league), dives for loose balls, stands up for his teammates, etc. He’s the type of guy that you love to play with.
Having a player like this will be a huge difference maker for the New Orleans Pelicans because it completely boosts the morale of a team when you have a guy working so hard on every possession, it’s infectious.
If a team is going to succeed, it’ll need a player that gives it their all night in and night out.
Jonas Valanciunas is that guy, so he will be much more for New Orleans than just a big center taking up space in the middle.