Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas have both been eliminated from EuroBasket, but they’ll be teaming up in Denver this season, and apparently, the two international big men have already connected. In his last media session before the round of 16, Valanciunas was asked about Jokic and if they had talked at all about what to expect in Denver.
Valanciunas’ answer could not have been more perfect and representative of who Jokic is, as he responded simply, “We talked about horses.” If that doesn’t sound like the Joker, I don’t know what does.
This is perfectly on brand and sounds completely believable. It seems like these two European giants are going to become fast friends and should make quite a pairing in Denver. Big Val went on to deadpan that Jokic gave him some advice, not specifying whether it was about Denver, basketball, horses, or something else entirely.
Jokic and Valanciunas have chance to be “Bash Brothers”
The combination of Jokic and Valanciunas seems like an odd one, as both are lumbering big men who can’t play any position but center. Neither one moves particularly well or jumps very high, and they are unlikely to dazzle with athleticism or movement out on the perimeter.
But both are incredibly savvy and they have great ball skills and high IQs. The unconventional duo may actually be able to feed off of each other, and possibly even play together, sharing the floor in a most unusual lineup.
Each player is versatile enough to make it happen in spurts, and they have enough skill to balance each other out and stay out of each other’s space while creating absurd advantages and exploiting mismatches. We’ll see how much David Adelman goes to this, if at all, but it’s refreshing to even have such an option.
Valanciunas buy-in massive for Nuggets
Nuggets fans were psyched when the team traded for Valanciunas in early July, but that excitement dissipated once it became apparent that Big Val was looking to retire from the NBA and head to Europe. It felt like the saga took forever to play out, but it ended with Valanciunas, of course, agreeing to honor his $10+ million contract in Denver.
He said all the right things, but it was hard to take him at face value. There has to be a bit of lingering concern that his heart won’t be all the way in it, and that he’s just collecting checks until he can return to Europe after the season.
But JV is a pro, and the fact that he’s already communicating with Jokic is a great sign. If for no other reason, his respect and admiration for the Joker should force Big Val to fully lock in this season and give his all to help the Nuggets try to capture the title.