Why Jonas Valanciunas Is A GREAT Signing For The Wizards

Why Jonas Valanciunas Is A GREAT Signing For The Wizards

the Wizards have made a mood of in free agency um they have signed yonas Valen chunis or they have agreed to terms because that’s how that works uh this time of year uh they’ve agreed to terms with Jonas Valen chunes they will officially sign him in a couple of days uh valent chunis 12-year NBA veteran uh longtime Grizzly spend some time in Toronto last year was with New Orleans and is just a behemoth of of a man 7 feet like 250 lbs consistently been one of the NBA’s best rebounders including averaging nearly nine a game in Fairly limited minutes last year and I think a lot of people look at this and they’re like wait what the wizard spent money on who and first of all what I would tell you is the concept of spending money is a very very relative term because if you look at like what Isaiah hartenstein just got hartenstein in his prime role player um like borderline NBA starter on a great team just got three for 87 so he got 57 million that’s like 1819 million more per year than jonis Valen chunes just got Valen chunes got three for 30 which I know sounds like a lot because $30 million to anybody in in uh not anybody but 99.9% of the population in 99.9% of context is a lot of money if I could sign a threeyear $30 million contract to do basically anything I’d be pretty psyched about it but in modern NBA money that’s just not that much so there’s that but it’s like okay he’s old don’t they aren’t they trying to get all these young guys and I think it goes back to something that I’ve talked about a lot on this show over the last two plus years now at this point um you need connectors and you need vets you need adults in the room this is a young young team and I think at times last year and at times the last couple years they’ve really struggled by not having the adults in the room that Cory kissper a younger player has to be the ultimate adult in the room they they got tus Jones but even tus is is still like on the underside of 30 to have someone who is in his 30 Bonafide like NBA vet knows where all the bodies are buried Dirty Work kind of player but like still good will set a proper tone in practice and in games he is a great addition in that realm to just be another adult in a room full of and I mean this sincerely kids like kabali George Carrington SAR they’re kids they’re 19 now 20 years old I believe in kulab bali’s case his birthday’s coming up like we are talking about guys that are very very young not and can’t can’t vote uh or couldn’t vote uh a year ago can’t can’t buy uh beverages like that’s how young we’re talking actually don’t I don’t know the French election rules can you vote when you’re 18 in France that I don’t know I don’t know they got an election disaster going on over there by the way not good uh but that’s this isn’t the French politics show um point is getting a guy like Valen chunis is is good for the room but I think this is the underrated part of it he’s also good for the on the floor product um there are going to be points this year where Alex SAR plays a lot of five he plays a lot of Center and there’s going to be some games where you don’t want him playing a lick I don’t want him guarding Joel embiid this year he’s not big enough he’s 7 foot 224 lb that is not thick um Anthony you were actually right next to Alex star this weekend at the mystics game I was indeed how would you describe Alex star uh it’s a little slim um tall but yeah I I think all three of those guys were like fairly slim to be honest I don’t I I wouldn’t want those guys guarding big bodied uh you know basketball players or or players that are just quite simply have like 40 50 pounds on yeah I mean I think you look at like Joel embiid 7 foot nearly 300 you want a guy 75 pounds heavier than Alex SAR banging on him as a rookie like no let him get in the NBA weight room and grow into his man body because he’s 19 years old and so that is really beneficial um from just like a defensive whatever I think also something the Wizards really struggle with last year was rebounding the basketball you add SAR now you add valent chunis hopefully you can finish possessions better this year this is a guy that’s played in some really really good defenses over the years um is he like a prime Defender no is he as mobile as he used to be no but he’s played in some really high level defenses he knows uh scheme sound uh tactics and having that kind of guy around to Anchor your back line is good do I think that Jonas valent valent chunis is playing 35 minutes a of course not I’d be kind of surprised if he plays more than 25 26 probably in that 25 to 27 range right like that’s that’s the maxent maybe he plays even less but he’s going to start 75 80 maybe 82 games if he’s healthy like I think that’s the goal is to just get SAR in that four position where his he’s probably more suited to play this year there will be some spacing issues they’ve got to figure out some shooting but that is a long term and that’s also why Kean George is here by the way um and I and I think that in the short term one it’s worth remembering nothing matters this year record-wise except for being bad bad is good and I know that’s not very fun but 2025 is when you when you plant your flag or get your Ace Bailey or you know get your Ace in the Hole if you will whatever whatever slogan you want to use um that’s the year you get your stud but in the meantime good habits protecting the young guys by the way a bit of attitude as well like you don’t mess with the Valen Tunis team so there’s a toughness element that I think is very very on brand with Brian Keefe so for where the Wizards are and where they want to be I love this move I genuinely love this move and by the way if he plays really well you could trade him in February you could trade him a year from now you could trade him 18 months from now you can trade him in February of 26 you can do all those things because he’ll be a coveted guy but in the meantime he clearly knows what he’s signing up for and he’s not like so good that he’s gonna play out of the lottery but he’s the exact right type of guy to bring in so I am Bravo on the Jonas Valen Tunis signing I look forward to winning 18 games this year 18 they’re gonna be not how many did we win last year 15 they’ll probably win like 22 okay sounds they’re better they will slash they will be better because koua Bali should be better I mean losing Denny Herz but if koua Bali can be most of what I mean do you think it’s outrageous for Bal to average 15 and six this year 15.6 rewards and what did he average last year why do you ask me such difficult questions sorry B kabali stats belal averaged last year um oh my God eight eight and four he averaged in his last 10 game well he only a he only played one game in the last 10 of the Season yeah I would say 15 doesn’t sound too crazy I’ll probably lean 14 maybe well I think that’s a a huge ABIA averaged 14.7 and 7.4 yeah so I don’t think he’ll hit those numbers this year but I do think he’ll come pretty close yeah so if you average is 14 and six you’re getting 90% of the production from Denny and I think he’s Bal will be a better Defender than Denny was so you’re not really losing a ton there we’ll see what Koz is and if Koz is on the roster and because it does feel like there that’s the other part of this right is there’s got to be another trade coming there’s there there’s now one too many players in the front court and whether that is um Kyle tus or I mean tus seems like a no-brainer there’s been a lot of rumors I don’t know where he winds up in a signning trade yeah um but they’ve got one too many front Court players and I don’t know whether that’s Kyle on the way out or baggley or Holmes Holmes can’t get traded until December because he just resigned uh a deal and when you sign a new deal you can’t be traded until later um so ran Holmes is probably here valent chunis SAR Kyle too many dudes at that four spot four five I should say and baggley it’s too much of your roster I guess it could doesn’t have to be though I guess they could just keep all them dudes for right now right now you need you need some guards yeah got bub got JP got Corey They’re Not Gonna Keep tus are they nah now

The Washington Wizards opened free agency by signing big man Jonas Valanciunas to pair with rookie Alex Sarr. What does he bring, and why is this move so perfect for the Wizards at the current state of their rebuild?

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