Thorpe on Valanciunas: "He might have the most upside of any draft pick this year"

[Built Ford Tough]

Valanciunas might have the most upside of any draft pick in this year's class. Who doesn't need a scoring machine who can rebound, run and defend? He's also a high-motor player.

 

Put it this way: If he was coming out of college after a year at UNC, he'd have gone No. 1 overall.

 

At worst Valanciunas looks to be a solid big man with starting potential, thanks to his willingness to rebound and defend, and his ability to make perimeter shots. But he's a scorer as well, with post moves and a knack for getting good looks. If he can provide a go-to scoring option and all the benefits that come with it -- drawing double-teams, getting lots of free throws, etc. -- that will take him to another level. When he enters the NBA after next season, we'll probably see what I'm writing about here.

 

This was an ESPN Insider piece.

 

His comment about if Valanciunas was coming out after a year at UNC he would've went 1st overall is interesting. I know he isn't the first person to say that if Valanciunas wasn't coming from Europe and played college in the United States that he would've went higher, but I think this is the first time I've read somebody definitively say that he would've went 1st overall (although I may be wrong).

 

I don't want to get ahead of myself and get some unrealistic expectations for Valanciunas, but I would be lying if his play for Lithuania this summer (both at the U-19's and the EuroBasket) as well as comments like these from a respected basketball mind like Thorpe hasn't made me more and more excited to see him play for the Raptors. I just hope that other people realize that he will need time to adjust and don't start ripping on him immediately because he doesn't come over and win Rookie of the Year or something like that.

[headliner]

Every European player needs to adjust to the NBA regardless but I think the challenge for Valanciunas is that he needs to make NBA players adjust to his game in order for him to be successful in his first season whenever that is going to be.

[AboveLegit]

Haven't seen a lot of Jonas, but from what I've been reading, it does seem like he has the most room to grow. However, that doesn't necessarily mean he will be the best player in his class. I've been very high on Derrick Williams, I think he's going to be a stud, he has the skillset and the prototypical size of a wing player to make it as a star in this league.

 

And BFT, is the comparison of Jonas to Joakim Noah accurate based on what you have seen of him? Can't remember where I read it (I think it was Draft Express).

[Built Ford Tough]

And BFT, is the comparison of Jonas to Joakim Noah accurate based on what you have seen of him? Can't remember where I read it (I think it was Draft Express).

 

Honestly, I think he can be better than Noah if he continues to progress at the rate that he currently is.

 

He may not be the rebounder or passer that Noah is, but I think he has more potential offensively as he seems to have much better touch around the rim, better finishing ability and just seems to have more offensive instincts than Noah. Also, he is an awesome free throw shooter for a 7 footer and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him develop a reliable 12-16 foot jumper as well.

 

I also think Valanciunas has the potential to be better defensively as well. I may be wrong, but I think he is taller and has a larger wingspan, but most importantly, Valanciunas has a thicker frame than Noah does and I can see him bulking up when he gets older as opposed to Noah who doesn't have the frame to support much more than the 220-230 pounds that he currently is. They both seem to have similar athleticism, shot blocking instincts and things like that but I believe Jonas won't be bullied as easily as Noah can be.

 

It isn't a terrible comparision by any means and I think they will definitely be similar players, but I think Valanciunas has the potential to be a better version of Noah.