Nuggets get encouraging performance from new backup big man

Jonas Valanciunas scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a losing effort Tuesday as Lithuania fell to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in the EuroBasket quarterfinals, 87-76. The veteran big man single-handedly kept Lithuania close on the glass, and his team actually outscored Greece by four points in his 31 minutes on the court. It was -15 in the nine minutes he sat.

That's similar to how the Nuggets were last season whenever three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was off the floor. Denver outscored its opponents by 10.5 points per 100 possessions when Jokic was on the court, and was outscored by 8.5 points per 100 when he sat. That's a massive 19-point swing and a big reason that Jokic averaged a career-high 36.7 minutes last season.

Jonas Valanciunas is a huge upgrade for Denver Nuggets as backup big man

With Valanciunas on board, the Nuggets should be able to at least tread water while their superstar rests. He can't equal Jokic's passing, but Valanciunas can score in the post and get boards. Last season, he grabbed 14.8 rebounds per 36 minutes playing mostly as a backup for Alex Sarr and Domantas Sabonis. Valanciunas isn't a mobile big and has been a slightly below-average defender for his career, but "average" is a giant upgrade.

Last season, the Nuggets played 37-year-old DeAndre Jordan 691 minutes at center, the equivalent of over 12 full games. The Nuggets were 7.8 points per 100 worse with Jordan on the floor. During Dario Saric's 200+ minutes at center, they were -16.1 per 100, and Zeke Nnaji was -5.8, playing a little over 200 minutes at the pivot instead.

Valanciunas isn't perfect, but he's a good scorer, an excellent rebounder and he's big. The Nuggets don't need him to be amazing, just respectable. If the team is only five points worse when Jokic rests next year, it would make a huge difference.

The big Lithuanian's presence should also let Jokic play fewer minutes and be fresher for the playoffs. It's not a coincidence that in 2022-23, Jokic played only 33.7 minutes per game and then dominated the playoffs on the way to a title.

The Nuggets made big upgrades to their bench by adding 2023 playoff hero Bruce Brown and sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr. By giving their most important player a quality backup, adding Valanciunas might end up the most important move of all.