Jonas Valanciunas Finally Makes His Debut For Raptors

So far the Toronto Raptors are perfect: 1-0 after defeating Real Madrid’s basketball team (yes, they have one) 102-95 at the Air Canada Centre on Monday. Now the spotlight shifts to the Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday as Raptors rookie centre Jonas Valanciunas is scheduled to take his first shifts in the NBA against the Detroit Pistons.

The big man from Lithuania — all 7 feet and 257 pounds of him — said that even though it’s only preseason, the start is “my dream come true.” It’s been a long time coming for Raps’ fans, too, as they’ve been waiting more than a year for the 20-year-old’s debut. After being selected fifth overall in the 2011 draft, he played one final year for BC Lietuvos Rytas as part of the buyout clause Toronto negotiated with the club; then he strained a calf muscle and had sat out almost all of training camp and the game against Real Madrid.

According to head coach Dwane Casey, the Big V will likely play only 10-12 minutes in his initial appearance as the team slowly incorporates him. “We want to be conservative; it’s a long-term process. It’s not a playoff game tonight, it’s training camp,” the coach said on Wednesday morning. “Get his feet wet. I’m not expecting any miracle showings, we just want to get him out there, get a run in against some of the big guys from Detroit.”

Another notable newcomer, point guard Kyle Lowry, is sidelined with a groin strain. That gives John Lucas III another chance to show what he can do; Jose Calderon should also get some floor time as Toronto figures out who will be in their backcourt when the season opens. Given the injury to Lowry and the fact that Valanciunas is also facing an opponent for the first time since returning from his own malady, it’s understandable that Casey wants to use kid gloves.

Nonetheless, Big V will be counted on to battle under the boards and provide a presence in the paint, and be a focus of a quicker attack. The club had only six fast-break points in the Real Madrid game, and will want to step up the tempo on that front against the Pistons. DeMar DeRozan scored 18 points on Monday night, and the Raps will want to see if he will retain similarly motivated to stay a step ahead of rookie forward Terrence Ross.

The Raptors will host the Pistons in Toronto on Friday, then have a four-day break before welcoming the Washington Wizards a week from Wednesday. The regular season opens for the Dinos on Halloween when the Indiana Pacers visit the ACC.