GAME DAY:
INDIANA AT TORONTO, 4 P.M.
Jonas Valanciu-nas couldn't have envisioned such an NBA debut when he was drafted nearly a year and a half ago.
Not only will he start in the Raptors' season opener today, matching up against an NBA all-star, the Lithuanian centre is being touted as the future of the franchise for a team aching to get back to the playoffs for the first time in five years.
That's a lot sitting on the shoulders of a 20-year-old - but Valanciunas sounds up to the task.
"I'm not feeling big pressure," he said in his thick Lithuanian accent. "I feel small pressure because we need to win, because everybody is expecting us to win now because no hockey, everybody is going to be concentrating on basketball.
"But it's just basketball. You have to step on the court and do your things. If you're going to think about pressure, or what the guys [are] talking about you, it's not going to be good."
Valanciunas will battle 2012 all-star Roy Hibbert when the Raptors host the Indiana Pacers in their season opener today. The Toronto rookie finally makes his long-awaited debut after the Raptors selected him fifth overall in the 2011 draft but left him in Lithuania for another season of development.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey admitted he's nervous for his young player.
"I want Jonas to do well, I want him to perform well, and he's going against an experienced guy who knows all the tricks," Casey said after Tuesday's practice at the Air sa国际传媒 Centre. "It's experience against inexperience, but this is the only way this young man is going to learn. Throw him out there in the fire, let him make his mistakes, and learn from them."
Valanciunas is one of three new starters for Toronto - the others are Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields. Valanciunas earned his spot with strong play in the pre-season, making five starts and averaging 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds.
"I was not expecting to be the coach's starting centre. I expected just 10 minutes, and he's giving me a lot so I feel really great," Valanciunas said. "I feel support from the coach, from the players, it's amazing.
"I think this is the best spot for me to play basketball."
Casey knows the 6-11 centre could be feeling some nerves in front of a full arena tonight, and that this season could well play out like a roller-coaster ride for a young European player learning about the NBA. But the coach said he and his staff takes great care with the rookies. Each first-year player is assigned an assistant coach. They examine video and talk after every practice.
