Jonas Valanciunas' Shaky Stock
Rarely, if ever, will we see a stock vary as much as Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas; he ranks as high as third or fourth on some teams' big boards based on his legit 7-foot size and at 19 years old, he is still growing. He has a soft touch around the rim, adept at finishing with contact, even with his lack of strength has helped Valanciunas put up 7.5 points on 71 percent shooting from the field and 5.5 rebounds a game in 15 minutes of Euroleague action this past season. There's no doubting his potential, as some of the execs we've spoken with think that four or five years from now, Valanciunas could be the best player in this draft.
But with all of that talent, his sticky buyout situation with his Lithuanian team could push him from being a top four or five pick down the lottery. His buyout has yet to be agreed upon and we've heard that the buyout won't allow Valanciunas to play in the NBA next season. He'll fall, but remember, he's just 19 years old now, so he would be 20 in his 2012-13 rookie season. His floor would be Houston at No. 14, where Yao Ming's future is in question, Brad Miller will miss part of next season after undergoing micro fracture surgery on his knee and starting center Carl Landry is just 6'6".
By President Corey Ruff - 6-21-11
