which seems likelier and likelier, I would have absolutely no problem taking Jonas V and sitting on him for a year.

Does it suck not getting an immediate high level young guy? Sure does. BUT! Adding Jonas V next year would be equivalent to getting a first rounder (CLIPPERGEDON), and I personally think he’s clearly a top three big in this draft. In fact, I see him as the overall best big right now in the draft, with BB and Kanter following (depending on whether you like offense, defense, or athleticism more).

Posted yesterday:

Situational Statistics: the 2011 Big Men Crop
June 21, 2011
     Jonas Valanciunas is an extremely intriguing prospect at 18-years old, but one of the reasons scouts like him so much is how efficient he was in the role he played for Rytas this season. In many ways, he’s a clean slate, with some good habits that could serve him well in his development.
     The young center played with a proficiency that belied his age, ranking amongst the top players in this group of bigmen in a number of different categories, including overall points per-possession (1.178, #1). Though it is important to note that he posted that mark in fairly small role (7.9 Pos/G), it ranks him well ahead of every prospect in this study, and 7th overall amongst all players in Europe.
     Though it would be easy to point to Valanciunas’s size, length and touch as the driving factors behind his efficiency, the young Lithuanian excels in a few key areas. His terrific effort level and hands made him a terrific pick and roll finisher. [Isn’t this what we’re excited about with Yombo?] When Valanciunas was on the court for Rytas, he was asked to play hard and spend a considerable amount of time setting screens out on the perimeter. Roll man situations accounted for nearly a quarter of his touches (2nd) and he scored on an absurd 73% of his possessions when catching the ball rolling to the rim. This ranked him 3rd in this category behind Tristan Thompson and Kenneth Faried, who saw less than 2% of their offensive possessions in this manner, a far cry from Valanaciunas’ 23.2%. Cuts also played a substantial part of his offense (20%), and he converted nearly a point and a half per opportunity (3rd) here as well.
     Breaking down Valanciunas in the halfcourt, his ability to finish the touches he sees around the rim is a big part of his overall efficiency. Nearly 82.2% of Valanciunas’s shots come around the basket in finishing situations, the most among all the big men in our sample, and he made 68% of those attempts last season (5th). A big target moving off the ball and a threat to score on the offensive glass, it is safe to say that Valanciunas thrived on catch and finish chances. [How is this not exactly what we want to see out of our center?]
     In terms of his ability to score one-on-one, Valanciunas has plenty of room for growth on paper. Seeing a meager 1.3 possessions per-game in the post (3rd last), and zero in isolation situations, Valanciunas wasn’t asked to score with his back to the basket last season, especially in EuroLeague play. Part of the reason for that was his propensity to turn the ball over after receiving an entry pass, which he did at a 29% rate (1st). He flashed some basic post-moves in junior play, but still needs to develop a go-to-move and improve his physical strength. Additionally, Valanciunas attempted only 8 (of 427 total possessions) jumpers all season, although the fact that he did convert on 5 of those and shot 80% from the free throw line leaves some room for optimism.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jonas-Valanciunas-5622/#ixzz1Q1RoCp5G
http://www.draftexpress.com

Compare the finishing at the rim part of Val’s writeup with Biyombo’s:

Overall, Biyombo ranks last in this group in points per-possession at 0.86 [to Val’s 1.178], primarily because he didn’t finish at the rim at a high rate and turned the ball over frequently. Like Valanciunas, Biyombo saw more than 80% of his shots at the basket, but he finished them at a 12% lower rate, making just 56.1% of them last season [to Val’s 68%]. He also turned the ball over on 25.8% of his half court possessions [Val’s biggest TO percentage is on entry passes], the highest mark in this group, showing that, despite his ridiculously large hands, he struggled to hold onto the ball in traffic at times. Considering this was Biyombo’s first taste of high level basketball, it isn’t surprising to see a player with so many physical tools, still struggle.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Situational-Statistics-the-2011-Big-Men-Crop-3761/#ixzz1Q1ShroR2
http://www.draftexpress.com

Finally, defensively (on Val):

Valanciunas is a major presence in the paint with his terrific size and length. His mobility helps him out quite a bit as well. He can contest shots around the rim and has good timing for blocking shots, even if he’s not what you would call a high-flyer. With that said, he’s not the smartest, most reactive player you’ll find right now, especially on the perimeter, which can lead to some poor rotations and open shots for opponents. Interestingly enough, even when you see him getting beat at times outside the paint he still has the ability to recover and make a play at the rim, which is a testament to his foot speed and wingspan.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jonas-Valanciunas-5622/#ixzz1Q1TtkW7B
http://www.draftexpress.com

A legit sized center who’s aggessive, has a bit of a nasty streak, and lies somewhere in the mid point defensively between Biyombo and Kanter. Offensively he’s arguably no worse than equal to Kanter, and perhaps better, and is RIGHT NOW everything we hope Biyombo will develop into as an offensive weapon. He can run, he can finish…and he turned 19 last month.

Book it.

if you use Hollinger’s euro-translator stats numbers, Jonas V’s production in 30 minutes of playing time would be:
11.5 ppg, 12.8 reb/g, .616 fg%, and a PER of 18.1.
Per36:
13.8 ppg, 15.4 reb/g

to get an early lottery pick to draft JV, me thinks the guy is worth waiting a year or two for.