“First time we have our backup with a similar skillset to Nikola Jokic” – David Adelman sees Jonas Valanciunas as a perfect fit for the Nuggets originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Heading into this offseason, no one expected the Denver Nuggets to have much flexibility. Josh Kroenke continued his economic approach by promoting Dave Adelman to head coach and appointing Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace — essentially rookies in the front office — as GMs, despite several strong names available on the market.
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Just when Nuggets fans started losing hope that a true contender would be built around Nikola Jokic, Tenzer and Wallace pulled off a string of interesting moves, triggered by the trade that sent Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cameron Johnson. Two players with similar playing styles and extensive injury histories, but ultimately, both teams got what they wanted. Denver cleared nearly $17 million in cap space, while Brooklyn landed another future pick as part of their rebuilding phase.
That newly opened cap space paved the way for Jonas Valanciunas’ arrival, suddenly giving the Nuggets a valuable backup center without sacrificing much. Shortly after, rumors emerged about Valanciunas potentially returning to Europe, specifically to Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos. The situation is still unresolved, but according to Adelman, the Nuggets are confident Valanciunas will stay.
“Point center” Adelman started. “You can play combo guards, you don’t need a lead PG, you can play 5-out offense, off the elbow, post him up. He’s such a skilled player… First time we have our backup with a similar skillset to Nikola Jokic beside DeMarcus Cousins.”
It seemed like the Nuggets had found that solution last summer
To be fair, it seemed like the Nuggets had found that solution last summer with Dario Saric, who entered the league as a versatile big with high IQ, shooting range, and great court vision. But that didn’t work out — after just 16 games with minimal impact, Saric was benched and never really earned his place in the rotation.
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Criticism of Saric’s stint didn’t take long to surface, and NBA legend Eddie Johnson is among those who believe Valanciunas should indeed head to Europe.
“This is going to get ugly,” Johnson posted on X. “Again, he will never say it, but he knows his minutes will be minuscule and the critics will run rampant with the blame game. Basically, come back and play eight mins a game and have these Jokic stat nerds blame you with a plus/minus of how you are failing him. He like I am going to Greece!”
Valanciunas comes in as a proven NBA name
Given how dependent the Nuggets are on Jokic, it’s not hard to imagine Johnson’s words turning into reality. Valanciunas’ career has been trending downward, and if he doesn’t make an instant impact, he could easily share Saric’s destiny. While his skillset may resemble Jokic to a degree — as did Cousins’ and Saric’s — that doesn’t guarantee he’ll deliver what’s expected.
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Valanciunas is a proven NBA name, but the initial complications around a possible move to Europe already suggest that even he may not be fully convinced about embracing a reduced role. That could become a motivation issue down the line. This looks like a perfect fit on paper, but in the bigger picture, the Nuggets might be in for more difficulties than they hoped for.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.