Toronto Raptors Injury News: Jonas Valanciunas Has Broken Bone in Non-Shooting Hand, Decides against Surgery
The Toronto Raptors look to capitalize on their recent success in the regular season this year, but news about starting center Jonas Valanciunas' broken bone in his left hand is never a welcoming one. The injury was obtained during the Raptors' game against the Los Angeles Lakers, which they won, 102-91, to snap a three-game losing streak.
In a statement released to the media, team officials said that the injury is a fractured fourth metacarpal in the non-shooting hand. The young center will definitely be sidelined but there will be an additional series of tests to be performed in order to figure out how long will he be out.
Ironically, Valanciunas suffered the very same injury, but it was in his right hand, during his rookie season. That injury forced him to miss a total of 18 games last year. This time, though, he is expected to miss fewer than the previous injury since he decided to have it rehabilitated instead of opting for surgery.
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The 23-year-old player from Lithuania is currently the Raptors' main post threat and inside presence, averaging nearly 13.0 points a game combined with 9.3 rebounds. He, so far, has played all 14 games for his team, but the injury means his starting spot will be filled in by veteran campaigner Bismack Biyombo.
Toronto isn't really playing the highest level of basketball as of the moment, but the good news is that they are still above .500, at 8-6. However, losing their most potent rebounder means that they may have to use recently acquired Anthony Bennett to share frontline duties with Biyombo.
The team is positive that Valanciunas will be able to recover fast, especially that they've invested a lot for the Lithuanian to stick with the team, giving him a contract extension for four years in the summer.
