Jonas Valanciunas Injury: Updates on Raptors Center's Hand and Return
Toronto Raptors announced center Jonas Valanciunas exited against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday with a fractured hand. It is unclear when he will be ready to return to the court.
Continue for updates.
Valanciunas Opts for Rehab
Saturday, Nov. 21
"After undergoing further tests on Saturday, [Valanciunas] will bypass surgery on the fracture in his left hand,," reported Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania, citing league sources. "Valanciunas is expected to miss approximately six weeks, league sources said."
Raptors Will Survive Without Valanciunas
He is backed up by Bismack Biyombo, who is a superior defender but doesn't score nearly as well. The Raptors do have considerable firepower on offense and ought to function fine without Valanciunas if his absence is of the short-term variety.
His injury could also lead to a slight uptick in minutes for Lucas Nogueira. The 23-year-old was the 16th overall pick from the 2013 NBA draft but hasn't gotten much of a chance to establish himself.
Given how unproven Nogueira is, the likely scenario for Toronto coach Dwane Casey is to go with a smaller lineup while Valanciunas recovers. Versatile players on the wing in DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll and Terrence Ross will make that strategy feasible.
What the Raptors must do above all else in Valanciunas' absence is crash the glass. He contributed a team-high 8.7 boards per contest last season for a squad that finished 26th in the Association in rebounding.
