Toronto Raptors Two-Man Game: Raptors vs. Cavaliers Series Preview
By Demar Grant
This question comes up seemingly every year but, How does Jonas Valanciunas fit in this series? The Cleveland Cavaliers are the epitome of small ball this year and JV is a lumbering offensive bigman.
Chris: On paper — and based on past encounters — this is an awful matchup for JV because his mobility is average at best. Tristan Thompson has feasted on JV, particularly in PnR situations, while Frye is too much of a perimeter player for him to guard.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Casey needs to staple JV to the bench, though. It just means he needs to have an extremely short leash with him and pull him the minute he struggles and the Cavs continuously drag him out into space, which is something they will try to do at will.
If JV learned anything from the Bucks series, it’s that he needs to play with a ton of energy and dominate the paint like Greg Monroe did. If JV can do that, there will be a role for him in this series. That’s a big if, though.
Demar: I actually think you can’t play JV In this series at all. Seriously staple his shorts to the bench. He’s not a rim protector and he’s not mobile, both things that are absolutely needed to play against this Cavs squad.