If you didn't jump out of your seat in excitement to this news, something is wrong with you. The Toronto Raptors announced that Jonas Valanciunas has been cleared to return to practice.
After suffering a left hand fracture, dating back to November 20th against the Los Angeles Lakers, Valanciunas has been sidelined missing the past 15 games. This past summer the Raptors re-signed Valanciunas to a four-year contract extension worth $64 million that commences next season.
The Raptors have posted a record of 9-6 in Valanciunas's absence. Bismack Biyombo has replaced him in the starting lineup and has done a swell job, bringing in his grit and grind attitude to the lineup while also being a monster on the glass. Biyombo is averaging 13.6 rebounds in his last five outings.
Valanciunas is expected to return in early January but the Raptors could also hold him off a bit for precautionary reasons. In the 14 games Valanciunas did play, he averaged 12.7 points, 9.3 rebounds in 27.3 minutes.
Toronto continues to be without their small forward DeMarre Carroll, who has missed the last eight games due to a bruised right knee that has been bothering him for quite a while. James Johnson and Terrence Ross has stepped up in place, swapping starting roles with one another. Carroll is expected to get his right knee looked at later this week, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
Carroll has struggled immensely this season shooting the basketball with a field goal percentage of 38.6 percent, plunging more than 10 percent from last season where he shot 48.7 percent. Carroll is averaging 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in the 18 games he has appeared in.
Both Valanciunas and Carroll seem to be on their way of making their returns to a team that has been unpredictable this season to say the least.