It hasn’t even been 10 games yet for Jonas Valanciunas in Denver, but he already seems to be enjoying his new situation. After a recent win, Big Val told the media, “That’s fun basketball. To play to win. That’s meaningful basketball…we can say it’s a long season, but every game means a lot…every game matters for us…it’s fun to play these meaningful games.”
It’s one thing for a young player joining a team to be talking like this, but JV has been in the league since 2012. He’s praising the Nuggets and their culture, but he’s clearly also taking some shots at his former teams, and it’s hardly shocking.
Before being traded to the Nuggets, Valanciunas had spent his career with the Kings, Wizards, Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Raptors. In 14 seasons, JV has made the playoffs eight times, he has made it out of round one just three times, and he has never reached a conference final.
The last time he made it out of round one was in the 2017-18 season, which was five teams ago. It has been a very long time since he played for a team that had legitimate title aspirations, and even that would be debatable at best. It’s a whole new world for Big Val, and so far, he seems to be thriving.
Change of face from Valanciunas since trade is massive
The irony of it all is that Valanciunas never wanted to come to Denver in the first place. If you recall, he had all but retired from the NBA and was ready to sign a deal to play with a Greek Club in the EuroLeague.
But the Nuggets played hardball, telling Val they expected him to honor his contract and delay his soft retirement overseas. Things seemed a little tense at first, but JV said all the right things and seemed to fall in line; after all, he’s making over $10 million for his services.
Give credit where it’s due, since those initial reports, Vlaanciunas hasn’t made a peep and has been every bit of a good soldier. He truly seems fully committed to the Nuggets, and these quotes just reiterate how locked in he is.
If anything, this whole situation is a blessing in disguise for JV. He thought his career was over, having wasted away on some of the worst teams in the NBA for the last few seasons. But he was given a career revival in the form of a trade to Denver. Now, he gets to play a key role on a contender, backing up the best player in the world.
It’s not a huge role, but it’s an extremely valuable one, and one that will curry great favor with the fanbase. On top of that, he has his best chance ever to win a title and then could truly sail off into a magical European retirement.
