Welcome back to NBA Fantasy Breakout – the 10-part series where I present you with the players who I think are going to have breakout fantasy seasons. I know the fantasy season has started for most but there is no reason you can’t go out and make a deal for the top five guys left on my list. If you missed it, here are #10 – #6:
#5 Jonas Valanciunas C Toronto Raptors
It is obvious that I feel that the most likely of players to break out are second year players. Though he was drafted three years ago, Jonas Valanciunas is just a second year player after playing an extra year in Europe. This allowed him to add extra strength to his NBA frame. He is a legit 6’11” center that can be a presence in the paint on both offense and defense. The time away also allowed him to be ready to take on the every day 82-game grind of being a big man in today’s NBA. He managed to play in 62 games and started 57 of them as a rookie, missing about a month because of a hand injury. The team was careful not to overload Valanciunas and kept his minutes in check as he averaged just a tick under 24. Below are his rookie season stats and his per 36’s:
Jonas Valanciunas 2012-13 Statistics
| G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| 62 | 57 | 23.9 | 3.3 | 5.9 | 0.56 | 0.79 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 8.9 |
Jonas Valanciunas 2012-13 Per 36 Statistics
| G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| 62 | 57 | 36.0 | 5.0 | 8.9 | 0.56 | 0.79 | 9.0 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 4.6 | 13.5 |
Valanciunas did not disappoint in his rookie season. He was a member of the all-NBA rookie second team. He was also named rookie of the month for the month of March. That displayed growth in his game as his rookie season went on. He only played 24 minutes a game last year which leaves a lot to be desired. Considering he was the starting center, and is slated to be that again, you can assume those minutes will easily climb into the 30’s. If that is the case you could probably pencil him in for close to his per 36 averages. The only knock from his rookie season was that he had the ability to get into foul trouble and in some games this occurred really quickly. It will be crucial for him to understand that he will need to let a few plays go every night to stay out of trouble. This will be for the betterment of his team’s success and fantasy production. Valanciunas will help you in every category except 3’s, assists, and steals. Since most centers don’t contribute in those categories anyways, he could end the year as a top 20 at his position. Valanciunas went on average 75th in fantasy drafts. He has underperformed to that status to this point but I have faith that he could be an early buy low guy for your team. Shoot an offer to his owner and see what happens.
The #4 player will be up tomorrow.
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References: www.basketball-reference.com
