Pelicans’ Jonas Valanciunas posts absurd stat line never seen before in NBA in 47 years
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Jonas Valanciunas against suns
The outcome of the Pelicans vs Suns Game 1 would have been different if visitors could have banked on the staggering performance by Jonas Valanciunas.
Each player has an average of 20% production on the court. Points scored, assists, Rebound, and even off-ball movement decide the play in 24 seconds in basketball. While conventional stats only show the most impactful plays, advanced statistics explain the technicalities of the game. So for New Orleans Pelicans’ Center, Jonas Valanciunas it was just a double-double performance in the loss against the Suns, but deeply he has a ridiculous stat-line helping the team.
In his 18 points and 25 rebounds game, Valanciunas grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and 12 defensive rebounds. With this, he became 1st man to put such a staggering performance in 47 years of playoffs.
What do these in-depth Jonas Valanciunas stats mean a lot to the Pelicans?
Pelicans did lose the game, rather convincingly against the Top team of the regular season. But this detailed stat will help them to analyze the game better and device strategy for the next fixture. 25 rebounds in 31 minutes itself are very impressive, and the equal distribution on both ends of the floor suggests that Jonas did rule the rim against the Bigs of the Suns.
DeAndre Ayton and JaVale McGee are well-established centers in the league. But dominating Jonas proved his capability in the regular season only as he finished ahead (7th) of Ayton and McGee in rebounding. His ability to keep the possession allowed the team some way into the game.
As per the stats, the Pelicans scored 29 points off second-chance opportunities, against just 7 by the Suns, All thanks to Valanciuanas. But New Orleans couldn’t capitalize on this massive 22-point differential, as they ended up losing the game 99-110, a difference of 11 points.
With great mid-range shooters like Ingram and McCollum on the team, Jonas’ rebounding will certainly hold a huge role in the offense. Defensively also Pelicans can limit the Suns by dominating the board. Of course, Monty Williams will also be looking at the stats chart and will look to neutralize the “board dominance” by Lithuanian stars.
It will be interesting to watch the game plans for both the teams in the next meeting. Suns will host the pelicans on 20th April after leading 1-0 in the series.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)