Jonas ValančiūnasDenver Nuggets · #17
Jonas Valančiūnas is a bruising veteran center for the Denver Nuggets and one of the most accomplished Lithuanian players ever. Drafted 5th overall by Toronto in 2011, he's a relentless rebounder and interior scorer across stops in Toronto, Memphis, New Orleans, Washington, and Sacramento before joining Denver in 2025. A seven-time Lithuanian Player of the Year and two-time EuroBasket silver medalist, he gives Denver rugged minutes behind Jokić.
Jonas Valančiūnas — the report card
Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.
Where Jonas Valančiūnas stands
Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.
Jonas Valančiūnas — every number, three levels deep
Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.
How the model sees Jonas Valančiūnas
Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.
Jonas Valančiūnas career stats, season by season
| Season | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 62 | 23.9 | 8.9 | 6.0 | 0.7 | .557 | .000 |
| 2013-14 | 81 | 28.2 | 11.3 | 8.8 | 0.7 | .531 | .000 |
| 2014-15 | 80 | 26.2 | 12.0 | 8.7 | 0.5 | .572 | .000 |
| 2015-16 | 60 | 26.0 | 12.8 | 9.1 | 0.7 | .565 | .000 |
| 2016-17 | 80 | 25.8 | 12.0 | 9.5 | 0.7 | .557 | .500 |
| 2017-18 | 77 | 22.4 | 12.7 | 8.6 | 1.1 | .568 | .405 |
| 2018-19 | 30 | 18.8 | 12.8 | 7.2 | 1.0 | .575 | .300 |
| 2019-20 | 70 | 26.4 | 14.9 | 11.3 | 1.9 | .585 | .352 |
| 2020-21 | 62 | 28.3 | 17.1 | 12.5 | 1.8 | .592 | .368 |
| 2021-22 | 74 | 30.3 | 17.8 | 11.4 | 2.6 | .544 | .361 |
| 2022-23 | 79 | 24.9 | 14.1 | 10.2 | 1.8 | .547 | .349 |
| 2023-24 | 82 | 23.5 | 12.2 | 8.8 | 2.1 | .559 | .308 |
| 2024-25 | 49 | 20.0 | 11.5 | 8.2 | 2.2 | .547 | .259 |
| 2025-26 | 65 | 13.4 | 8.7 | 5.1 | 1.2 | .582 | .308 |
| Career | 951 | 24.6 | 12.8 | 9.1 | 1.4 |
The Lab
Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.
Are the Denver Nuggets built to win?
Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.
The Ballad of Jonas Valančiūnas
Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.
The beginning
A bruising Lithuanian veteran and elite rebounder — the rugged interior insurance behind Nikola Jokić.
Turning pro
Drafted 5th overall, 2011 as a Center.
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A throwback bruiser from a basketball-mad nation — the rugged interior muscle behind the game's best center.
Chapter
Born in Utena, Lithuania, Valančiūnas went fifth overall to Toronto in 2011 and became one of the league's most reliable physical centers — rebounding and scoring in the paint.
Chapter
Across Toronto, Memphis, New Orleans, Washington, and Sacramento he set franchise rebounding marks and, for Lithuania, won two EuroBasket silvers and seven national Player of the Year awards.
Off the court
- Height
- 6' 11"
- Weight
- 265 lbs
- Experience
- 13th Season
- NBA debut
- 2012
- Draft
- 5th overall, 2011
- Born
- Utena, Lithuania
- Age
- 34
- Jersey
- #17
Valančiūnas carries the pride of Lithuanian basketball, a nation where the sport is close to a religion. A national-team fixture since age 19 and a seven-time domestic Player of the Year, he's spent his career as a throwback: a big, physical, low-post center in a league that drifted toward speed and spacing. In Denver he settled into a fittingly veteran role — rugged backup minutes and rebounding — after a brief, well-documented flirtation with finishing his career overseas.
A physical, old-school interior big and proud Lithuanian veteran — rebounding and toughness on demand.
Jonas Valančiūnas — frequently asked
The questions people ask most about Jonas Valančiūnas, answered.
