Amazing, the Nuggets' new addition is incredible! He scored 18 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to secure a winning start at the EuroBasket.

It has begun, it has begun.

The much-awaited EuroBasket tournament is as thrilling as the Olympics and the World Cup.

Lithuania comfortably beat Great Britain 94-70, effortlessly securing the opening match win.

Here are Lithuania’s statistics:

Here are Great Britain’s statistics:

NBA active player and Lithuania’s star Valančius started, playing about 21 minutes, shooting 7 of 13 from the field, 4 of 6 from the free-throw line, contributing 18 points and 9 rebounds (including 5 offensive boards) for a near double-double, with a team-high plus-minus of +24.

Born on May 6, 1992, Valančius is a 2.11m tall center with a 2.29m wingspan, drafted 5th overall in the 2011 first round. His NBA career averages are 13.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per regular season game, and 13.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in the playoffs, making him a reliable double-double machine. Playing under FIBA rules is naturally easy for him.

Under FIBA regulations, Valančius finds it even easier than in the NBA, especially since there is no defensive three-second violation, which benefits traditional big men like him, allowing him to camp in the paint, reduce running, and conserve energy.

This summer, the Nuggets traded Saric in a one-for-one deal to acquire Valančius from the Kings. In the new season, he will mainly serve as Jokic’s backup. The combination of these two European big men will undoubtedly dominate the paint against other NBA teams.

The Nuggets’ main roster for the new season is as follows:

Guards: Murray, Braun, and Hardaway Jr.;

Forwards: Gordon, Johnson, and Brown;

Big men: Jokic and Valančius.

Clearly, the Nuggets have a stronger championship-contending lineup than last season (when they exited in the second round of the playoffs). However, competing in the tough Western Conference, with strong rivals like the Thunder (last season’s champs) and the Rockets featuring Durant, makes claiming the title far from easy.

At least it’s certain that with Valančius joining, Jokic’s burden will be significantly eased. Last season, this superstar big man averaged 36.7 minutes per regular season game (4th in the league), putting up 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals; in the playoffs, he averaged 40.2 minutes (6th in the league), scoring 26.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals per game!