Derrick Jones Jr. gets Jonas Valanciunas' season off to rough start with facial dunk
This is surely not the start to the season Jonas Valanciunas had in mind.
The Memphis Grizzlies center sat out the preseason with a sore foot and wasn’t quite ready for prime time when Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. attacked the basket early in the second quarter of Wednesday’s season opener.
Jones took a pass from Goran Dragic on a pick-and-roll at the top of the key with Valanciunas standing between him and the basket. Valanciunas should have just gotten out of the way.
Jones leapt from beyond the restricted area and hammered home a left-handed dunk over the top of a helpless Valanciunas.
Valanciunas will play a primary frontcourt role this season in Memphis with the departure of Marc Gasol. There will be better days ahead. But maybe he should avoid potential poster situations until his ailing foot is 100 percent.
More from Yahoo Sports:
