An annual survey of all NBA general managers
showed that Jonas Valanciunas is considered to be the best international player
outside the league.
The results of survey put the 19-year-old
Lithuanian at the top of the talent list with 36% of the votes, ahead of Juan
Carlos Navarro, who received 32% of the votes, and Andrei Kirilenko with 20%.
Valanciunas was recently voted Player of the Year in Lithuania and also finished runner-up in the Sports Personality of the Year race.
The player is averaging 16.2 points, 7.6
rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game for Lietuvos Rytas in the Lithuanian League (LKL), while his
statistics in Eurocup are quite a bit worse – 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3
blocks.
