Valanciunas Bench Role Unlocks Lithuania’s Potential

Jonas Valanciunas once again gave plenty of room for the rest of his teammates. He only played 9 minutes but made them count to clear the road for his teammates. It paid off for Lithuania. For all of the heroics of Kristaps Porzingis in this Baltic derby, it was Lithuania’s ability to adapt that guided them to the quarter finals of EuroBasket 2025.

Kristaps Porzingis gave Latvia fans hope. Lithuania showed they can beat him even with Jonas Valanciunas sitting. The Denver Nuggets man embraced coming off the bench as Lithuania advanced to the quarter finals of EuroBasket 2025.

JV sits and Lithuania thrives

Rimas Kurtinaitis surprised everyone when he opted to start the group phase win over Finland with Jonas Valanciunas on the bench. It worked and he stuck with the tactic again in this Baltic derby. Azuolas Tubelis and Marek Blazevic essentially did his job as a platoon.

It worked remarkably well. Latvia had terrible difficulty penetrating the interior of the Lithuanian D. Furthermore, Davis Bertans looked unsure of what his role offensively was meant to be. Whatever it is that has bothered him, he felt like a wasted body out there.

Kristaps Porzingis essentially was the Latvia attack in the early going. Still Lithuania were able to build an 8 point lead despite their superstar sitting. The fast break was more of a threat. In turn this led to more options in the half court, with Arnas Velicka taking full advantage from deep.

Rolands Smits is relevant

Lithuania’s lead only grew after Jonas Valanciunas finally entered the game late in the first. This Baltic derby looked like it would be a walk for LTU. Kristaps Porzingis was the only person offering anything in response for a Latvia that looked destined to exit EuroBasket 2025 with a whimper.

Finally, Rolands Smits found a way. The big guy has been one of the most under rated players in Europe for his whole career. All he does is deliver on the fundamentals at a high and consistent level. That was what Latvia needed.

Smits brought the necessary penetration to give Latvia something to work with on the interior. Still, it was clear that when he, Porzingis, and Davis Bertans shared the floor together that there was a lack of chemistry. Despite this, Smits made the home side relevant.

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Next man up

Lithuania has been utterly riddled with injuries at EuroBasket 2025. It has been most visible in their back court. This has put huge pressure on players who expected to be towards the bottom of the bench to deliver. It’s one thing to supplement the work of Jonas Valanciunas on the inside, it’s another to be expected to step up and lead.

Take a bow Arnas Velicka and Deividas Sirvydis. The former, under extraordinary pressure given the lack of viable alternatives, has grown as the tournament has progressed. His performance reminds me of Mantas Kalnietis who always found a way to perform for the national team.

Sirvydis meanwhile had been quiet in the group phase but exploded off the bench in this one. Their combined efforts put a limit on the combined heroics of Kristaps Porzinis And Rolands Smits. The utter irrelevancy of Davis Bertans and his brother Dairis, both accomplished shooters, compounded the problems of Luca Banchi’s side.

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For all his personal heroics, Kristaps Porzingis couldn’t keep Latvia’s EuroBasket 2025 dream alive.

A learning experience

Granted, a derby game can bring out a different element in some players but this felt like more than that. With Jonas Valanciunas once again deferring, the remainder of the Lithuania side has grown into the greater responsibility thrust upon them.

It has also made life easier for Jonas as he knows it’s not all on him, despite the depleted roster. In his 9 minutes he still managed 9 points, Denver Nuggets fans will certainly be pleased that he’s finding a way to contribute off the bench so well. That’s a bonus for them, it’s fundamental to Lithuania’s hopes at EuroBasket 2025.

Latvia meanwhile exit after a rather disappointing journey. While Kristaps Porzingis delivered throughout the tournament, including recording his first ever EuroBasket double double in this game, they never had enough beyond him. The irrelevance of Davis Bertans didn’t help but you can look across the roster and wonder how this side has regressed so much since 2023.

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