Memphis Grizzlies: Jonas Valanciunas has improved in these 3 areas in 2021
Memphis Grizzlies C Jonas Valanciunas is among the league’s best rebounders
While Jonas Valanciunas has been showing out in the scoring column, this isn’t his most impressive category in 2021 so far. Rather, that honor would be given to his rebounding.
As a rebounder, the Grizzlies haven’t had many options with Jaren Jackson Jr. still injured. Think about it — who is the best rebounder on the team after Valanciunas? The numbers say Kyle Anderson, but with fewer minutes, Brandon Clarke is averaging a close total.
But Anderson is averaging 5.9 rebounds per game and Clarke is averaging 5.5. That puts them at the 2nd and 3rd rankings in the rebounding category on the team. How far up do you have to go to see JV’s rebounding total? Far.
At 12.4 rebounds per game, you’d be hard-pressed to find a team with a more distant first option to pull in boards. As the only true big man on this team, he has been single-handedly holding down the paint.
Valanciunas’s 12.4 rebounds per contest are fourth in the NBA behind Capela, Gobert, and Drummond. Without the team’s second option as a rebounder and scorer, Valanciunas has done more than just fill those gaps. He has made the team better in each of those categories.