Background and career
Jonas Valančiūnas ( YOH-nəss VAL-ən-CHOO-nəs; Lithuanian pronunciation: [ˈjoːnɐs vɐɫɐnʲˈtɕûːnɐs]; born 6 May 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Žalgiris of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He has also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, and Denver Nuggets. Valančiūnas has been a member of the Lithuania national team since age 19. He won two EuroBasket silver medals in EuroBasket 2013 and EuroBasket 2015, earning All-Tournament honours in the latter. Valančiūnas also appeared in the documentary The Other Dream Team.
Valančiūnas started playing professionally for Perlas in 2008. During the 2008–09 season the team played in the National Basketball League (NKL), Lithuania's second strongest league, but moved up to the top-tier Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) the following season. In January 2009 Valančiūnas signed a long-term contract with Lietuvos rytas, but, as Perlas was Lietuvos rytas' farm club, he did not immediately move to Lietuvos rytas, staying with Perlas for the first half of the 2009–10 season.
On 17 January 2010, Valančiūnas finally moved to Lietuvos rytas. A month after that Lietuvos rytas won the 2010 edition of Lithuanian Basketball Federation's LKF Cup. While playing there, Valančiūnas played in the LKL Finals three times, in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The team won the 2010 series 4–3 against Žalgiris, but lost to the same team the following year 4–1 and 3–0 in 2012. Valančiūnas became February's MVP in the VTB United League in 2012. Two months later he won the EuroCup Rising Star award and was named in the All-EuroCup squad. He averaged 10.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, while shooting 63.4% from the field, leading Lietuvos rytas to third place. Valančiūnas participated in three LKL All-Star Games in 2010, 2011 and 2012. During the 2011 All-Star Game Valančiūnas scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, helping this team win the game. He was named as the 2011 LKL All-Star Game MVP. During the 2012 game he led his team to victory, scoring 25 points including one three-pointer, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists. He won the MVP award once again. In December 2011, Valančiūnas was named the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for the first time. He was also twice named the FIBA European Young Player of the Year in February 2012 and February 2013.
Valančiūnas was considered as a top prospect at the 2011 NBA draft, held on 23 June 2011, and was drafted fifth overall by the Toronto Raptors. He signed with the Raptors on 18 July 2012, and made his NBA debut on 31 October, during a game against the Indiana Pacers. He recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes of action as a starter, becoming the first Raptors rookie since Damon Stoudamire in 1995 to record a double-double in his first game. In December 2012, Valančiūnas was selected as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for the second time. On 5 April 2013, Valančiūnas was named Eastern Conference's Rookie of the Month for games played in March. He ranked first among Eastern Conference rookies in averages per game in rebounds (7.3), blocks (1.07), and field goal percentage (.620). He also ranked second in free throw percentage (.822) and fourth in scoring (11.4 points per game), reaching double figures in points in 11 of his last 12 games between 6 and 31 March.
On 22 July 2013, Valančiūnas was named MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League becoming the first non-American to win the award after averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds in four games. On 27 December, Valančiūnas recorded a then career-high 18 rebounds in a 95–83 win over the New York Knicks. On 9 April 2014, he scored a then career-high 26 points in a 125–114 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Two days later, he recorded a then career-high 21 rebounds in a 108–100 loss to the New York Knicks. The Raptors finished in third place in the conference in the 2013–14 season, and faced the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs. In game 1 of the series, Valančiūnas recorded 17 points and 18 rebounds, surpassing Keon Clark's franchise record for most rebounds in a single playoff game. He also became the second Raptor ever to record a double-double in his playoff debut; the first was Tracy McGrady. The Raptors went on to lose the series 4–3.
On 17 December 2014, Valančiūnas was selected as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for the third time. On 31 January 2015, Valančiūnas scored a then career-high 31 points in a 114–111 loss to the Detroit Pistons. He finished the 2014–15 season with a back-to-the-basket shot percentage of 51.3%, good for second in the NBA behind fellow Lithuanian Donatas Motiejūnas of the Houston Rockets, who was attacking with 53.4% this way. Valančiūnas was ranked second in the two-points field goal percentage category during the 2014–15 season.
