Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas is the unofficial king of the NBA play-in tournament. With the Kings set to appear in the 2025 play-in, Jonas will be the only player in the history of the league to appear in all six tournaments so far. Jonas is a decent player, he makes a bad team better, but he is not a noticeable piece on a great team. Ultimately, he might be the perfect player for the play-in tournament.
Jonas Valanciunas is the King of the Play-In
The Sacramento Kings have clinched a play-in position. At the beginning of the season, when they signed DeMar DeRozan, the team had higher aspirations. But this season they regressed and fired their coach, Mike Brown which resulted in De’Aaron Fox asking for a trade.
Now, they are in the play-in, trying to make it out as the ninth seed. The good news for the Kings is they have the most experience of any team in the play-in. Besides Valanciunas, they also have DeMar and Zach LaVine with a noticeable play-in experience. LaVine and DeRozan played in two play-in games with the Bulls but failed to make it into the playoffs. Jonas, on the other hand, is a bit more successful in making the playoff through the play-in tournament.
Do the Kings have a chance? Well, they will be favored against the injury-plagued Dallas Mavericks. But in the second game, which they will play on the road, they will face either the Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, or the LA Clippers. They will not be favored against any of them. But hey, a play-in experience and a good shooting night can make anything possible in a one-game situation.
Jonas Valanciunas Play-In Record
So far, Jonas Valanciunas has a 3-2 record in the play-in tournament. His teams have managed to advance three times, and he has failed to make the playoffs through the tournament two times. In the inaugural play-in tournament, he failed with Memphis to the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2021, again with the Memphis Grizzlies, Jonas and his teammates beat San Antonio and Golden State to make the playoffs as the 8th seed. In the first round, they fell to the Utah Jazz 4-1.
In 2022, he was part of the New Orleans Pelicans. His team beat San Antonio and the LA Clippers to make it as the 8th seed. They lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns, 4-2. In 2023, Jonas and the Pelicans lost the first play-in game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2024, again with the Pelicans, Jonas lost to the Lakers, but then beat the Sacramento Kings to make it as the 8th seed. They were swept by the Thunder in the first round. This season, Jonas has a chance to become the first player to make it to the playoffs through the play-in with three different teams.
The Play-In Stars
Jonas is one of the few players with multiple play-in appearances. Trae Young, DeRozan, and LaVine also have multiple play-in appearances. Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat is among the best performers during the play-in games. LaVine has been part of the play-in with the Bulls. But he has never advanced to the playoffs.
The good news for Jonas and the Kings is they will probably end up as the ninth seed in the Western Conference. Since the inception of the play-in format in 2021, the 10th seed has never made it into the playoffs.
Photo credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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