After missing 11 straight games, the Nuggets are finally getting some much-needed size back in the paint. Jonas Valanciunas is set to return to the lineup Thursday night against the Wizards in Washington, and while the spotlight has understandably been on Nikola Jokic’s absence, getting Valanciunas back is a big deal in its own right.
Let’s be clear: no one’s confusing JV for Jokic. He’s not going to run the offense from the elbow or drop 30 with a triple-double flair.
But what he does bring is a physical, reliable presence on the boards-something Denver has sorely missed. Without either of their centers, the Nuggets have been getting crushed on the glass, ranking dead last in rebounding over that stretch.
It’s been a bit of a scramble. Zeke Nnaji and rookie DaRon Holmes have been thrown into the fire, while Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, and even Spencer Jones have had to play bigger than their frames suggest.
The effort’s been there, but the size just hasn’t. And in the NBA, that matters-especially when you’re trying to survive without your MVP anchor.
Valanciunas brings some much-needed muscle back to the rotation. He’s a load in the post, a dependable rebounder, and a guy who knows how to carve out space and control the paint. Even if he’s not operating at full speed just yet, the Nuggets will take whatever minutes they can get from him.
Head coach David Adelman confirmed that Valanciunas will be on a minutes restriction tonight, but he’s sliding right back into the starting lineup. And honestly, even 15-20 minutes of Big Val could be a game-changer. His presence alone should help stabilize the frontcourt and ease the pressure on Denver’s forwards, who’ve been punching above their weight for weeks.
The timing couldn’t be better. Jokic went down with a knee injury on December 29, and just two days later, Valanciunas followed with a calf injury on New Year’s Eve.
Since then, neither has played a single minute in January. Somehow, the Nuggets have managed to stay afloat, going 6-5 without a true center.
But the cracks have started to show.
Their last two games-both home losses to the Hornets and Lakers-were rough. Not just in the final score, but in the way they lost. Denver was out-rebounded by more than 20 in each contest, and by the fourth quarter, they looked like a team with nothing left in the tank when it came to battling on the boards.
That’s where Valanciunas steps in. He may not fix everything, but he gives them a fighting chance on the glass again. And with Jokic still sidelined, that’s exactly what the Nuggets need to stop the bleeding.
There’s still no official word on when Jokic will return, and the team’s also monitoring the statuses of Cam Johnson and Christian Braun. But getting Valanciunas back is the first domino to fall-and a crucial one. If he can help stabilize the rebounding and give Denver’s offense a few extra possessions, this team could start to look a lot more like itself again.
For now, it’s about taking the first step. And that starts with Big Val back in the middle.