New Orleans Pelicans Will Miss Jonas Valanciunas This Season

The New Orleans Pelicans have a glaring issue at center since Jonas Valanciunas left.

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) drives into Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) during game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Coming into the 2024-25 NBA season, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans. 

The Pelicans were able to have a strong offseason, as they pulled off one of the biggest trades of the summer with the Atlanta Hawks. New Orleans was able to acquire guard Dejounte Murray, who many teams were rumored to be after. 

Murray is an excellent two-way player and will certainly have a positive impact on the team. While the move to bring in the talented young guard was a good one, the biggest question mark for the franchise remains at the center position.

Last season, Jonas Valanciunas started every single game for the Pelicans in the regular season, which is really unheard of in the NBA nowadays. With rest days and load management, seeing a player, let alone a center start and play in every single game has value in itself. 

The big man not only played in every single game, but he played well. Last season, Valanciunas averaged 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Over the course of his career, the center has never really been a consistent 30-minute a night player, and in his last two seasons in New Orleans, he averaged under 25 minutes a game. 

After a strong season with the Pelicans, the 32-year-old signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Washington Wizards. The departure of the big man left a bit of a void for New Orleans at the center position heading into the season. 

While the Pelicans were extremely efficient with Zion Williamson playing at the center position, that isn’t a lineup that can play extended minutes and garner success. If the situation and matchups arise at the end of the game, a small lineup with Williamson at center works, but that can't be the complete answer. 

As of now, New Orleans has Daniel Theis and Yves Missi as the two most logical choices to get most of the minutes at center. With his experience in the league, Theis is expected to be the starting center, but Missi will be a young player to keep an eye on. 

Even though the Pelicans improved this offseason, the loss of Valanciunas currently feels significant on paper, as he’s a much better option than what they currently have. As the team heads into the regular season, they should be exploring all options when it comes to upgrading the center position.