Nuggets’ David Adelman Weighs In on Jonas Valanciunas Return

In the midst of the Denver Nuggets' 107-97 road victory over the Washington Wizards, they saw a key addition re-enter their frontcourt rotation in the form of veteran center Jonas Valanciunas, who made his return to the floor after a three-week absence due to a strained calf.

Starting in place of the injured Nikola Jokic, Valanciunas made his presence felt quickly upon his first game back in the lineup while only playing in 22 total minutes. He logged 16 points, nine rebounds, and two assists, while giving Denver a bit of a regular look in their frontcourt with a traditional center.

Needless to say, David Adelman was looking forward to the day that Denver would have at least one of their two centers healthy and in their rotation. Valanciunas finally made that come to fruition, and gained some notable praise from his head coach at the podium.

"I mean, it... It was just nice to play against drop coverage for the first time in a long time." Adelman said of Valanciunas' return. "Just having that presence on the rim. And I said this before he got hurt, he plays just under 22 minutes, 16 and 9. I mean, he just– he stats out. It's absolutely crazy."

"A couple assists, a lot of fouls. The guy is just, he's impactful. You can post him up, a great offensive rebounder. So, yeah, just having that presence back, and that size, and then being able to slide Aaron [Gordon] to the four and be who we were used to being. It was fun to coach that game."

Jonas Valanciunas Shows Out in Return vs. Wizards

That standout physicality and inside ability is something that Valanciunas himself even echoes, and against the Wizards, was a key aspect in helping Denver seal a convincing win on the road despite only playing in less than half of the Nuggets' minutes at center.

"Physicality, that's what I can bring," Valanciunas said postgame. "Setting good screens, fighting for the ball, just being a presence down low, just rolling hard for shooters to get some open shots."

Jan 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas (17) dunks over Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) during the first half against at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Now on the season, Valanciunas is averaging 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists whille shooting 58.5% from the field through 34 games–– all in just 13 minutes a game,

Of course, that playing time will see a steep uptick in the coming weeks the longer the Jokic is forced to the sidelines with his lingering knee injury, and with it, his role will continue to be pretty significant in the frontcourt as someone to bring size and rebounding ability, something the Nuggets especially struggled with in their time without both of their big men.

But if able to sustain his production as seen against Washington, combined with potentially more playing time to come in the games ahead, the Nuggets might just be able to continue staying afloat while without the services of their three-time MVP.

Jonas Valanciunas Shows Out in Return vs. Wizards

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