Nuggets' Jonas Valanciunas Gets Key Status Update vs Wizards

It's been an injury to force Valanciunas to the sidelines for the past 11 games of the Nuggets' season, and while Denver's had moments of struggling with size and rebounding throughout his absence, signs appear to be hinting at his long-awaited return against their upcoming road matchup in DC.

Needless to be said, a refreshing injury update to be had in a season full of ups and downs in terms of availability for the Nuggets' best players.

Jonas Valanciunas Trending Towards Playing vs. Wizards

The Nuggets are likely to still be without multiple impact players and even starters against the Wizards. No Nikola Jokic, Cameron Johnson, and Christian Braun will be in the mix as they recover from their respective long-term injuries.

Yet, having Valanciunas back in the rotation will be an extremely valuable resource to have for Denver; not just for the reason of having all of your top players healthy and on the floor, but because of the troubles the Nuggets have faced without their typical size at the five and the rebounding woes to come with it.

In the Nuggets' past five games, they've failed to haul in 40 total rebounds as a team, averaging 33.8 boards a night in that recent sample size, a number that if kept up throughout the entire season, would sink nearly six rebounds lower than the 30th-ranked rebounding team in the NBA: the Brooklyn Nets with a dreary 39.7 boards a night.

Enter Valanciunas, who, especially as a starter for the time that Jokic is forced to miss, can be a perfect plug-in center with size and strength to work on the glass.

In his 33 games played this season, Valanciunas has averaged 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists a night while shooting 59.3% from the field, playing in just over 13 minutes a game. Per 36 minutes, he jumps to an impressive average of 23.0 points and 12.7 boards, which might just be a good sign of things to come while he's filling in for the three-time MVP.

If Valanciunas is back to 100% without any restrictions, that could place him in the starting lineup next to the likes of Aaron Gordon and Spencer Jones in the frontcourt, while Peyton Watson and Jamal Murray fill out the starting backcourt in hopes of lifting Denver to their 30th victory on the regular season, while also avoiding a rare three-game losing streak in the process.