Paulius Valinskas

Paulius Valinskas
Valinskas with Žalgiris Kaunas in 2018
Free agent
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Personal information
Born (1995-12-09) 9 December 1995 (age 29)
Kaunas, Lithuania
Listed height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Listed weight85 kg (187 lb)
Career information
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Playing career2013–present
Career history
2013–2016BC Žalgiris-2
2016–2019Žalgiris Kaunas
2018–2019→Lietkabelis Panevėžys
2019→Orléans Loiret
2019–2021Lietkabelis Panevėžys
2021–2022Okapi Aalst
2022–2023FMP
2023–2024Lietkabelis Panevėžys
2024–presentBorac Mozzart
Career highlights and awards

Paulius Valinskas (born 9 December 1995) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for KK Borac Mozzart of the ABA League.[1] He is a 1.91 m (6'3") tall combo guard.

Early career

During the 2015–16 season with BC Žalgiris-2, Valinskas won the National Basketball League silver medals after losing to BC Sūduva in the final. He averaged 14.5 points and 3.2 assists in 29 minutes of action and got the 2015–16 Most Improved Player Award.[2]

Professional career

After a breakout season with Žalgiris-2, Valinskas was invited into the main Žalgiris team in the summer of 2016.[3] During his first two years, he saw little playing time. In the 2017–18 season, he averaged 4.7 points in the LKL and 2.8 points in the Euroleague. On 3 November 2017, during an away game against CSKA Moscow, Valinskas scored a career high 11 points, making 3 of his 4 three-pointers.

On 6 August 2018, Valinskas was loaned to Lietkabelis Panevėžys.[4] In 55 games played during the season (both in the LKL and the Champions League), Valinskas averaged 11.9 points, 3.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds, shooting 46% from the field overall.

On 2 August 2019, he went on loan to French club Orléans Loiret Basket of the LNB Pro A.[5]

On 12 August 2021, Valinskas signed with Okapi Aalst of the Belgian BNXT League.[6]

On 4 August 2022, Valinskas signed a two-year contract for FMP of the Basketball League of Serbia and the ABA League.[7][8] On 13 April 2023, he mutually parted ways with the Serbian club.[9] In 21 games played, he averaged 14.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

On 9 September 2023, Valinskas returned to Lietkabelis Panevėžys for a third stint, signing a one-year contract.[10] He parted ways with the club on 30 April 2024.

On 12 July 2024, Valinskas was announced as the new player of KK Borac Mozzart.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

EuroLeague

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2016–17 Žalgiris 5 0 1.7 .667 .000 .100 .0 .4 .0 .0 1.2 1.2
2017–18 25 1 8.9 .371 .310 .750 1.1 .7 .2 .0 2.6 2.5
Career 30 1 7.45 .519 .310 .673 1.9 2.3 .4 .0 2.5 2.3

EuroCup

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2020–21 Lietkabelis 9 7 26.1 .425 .455 .667 2.2 1.2 .4 .0 11.0 5.8
2023–24 7 5 26.1 .509 .483 .774 1.6 3.8 .3 .0 13.1 10.6
Career 16 12 26.9 .466 .468 .727 1.9 2.5 .4 .0 11.9 8.7

References

  1. ^ "PRVI TIM NASTAVLJA DA SE POJAČAVA, PAULIUS VALINSKAS NOVI ČLAN!" (in Serbian). 12 July 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Labiausiai patobulėjęs NKL žaidėjas Valinskas: "Tai buvo paskutinis mano mačas šioje ekipoje"". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  3. ^ ""Žalgiryje" debiutuosiantis Valinskas: "Esu pasiruošęs kilti į aukštesnį lygį"". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 31 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Zalgiris inks Sabeckis and loans Valinskas". zalgiris.lt. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Paulius Valinskas signs with Orleans". Sportando. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Litouwse Paulius Valinskas nieuwe combo-guard". Okapi Aalst (in Flemish). 12 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  7. ^ "FMP doveo pouzdanog šutera iz Litvanije". mozzartsport.com (in Serbian). Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Paulius Valinskas joins FMP Meridian on a 2-year deal". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  9. ^ "FMP nutraukė kontraktą su P.Valinsku". krepsinis.net (in Lithuanian). 13 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Į Panevėžį grįžta Paulius Valinskas". kklietkabelis.lt (in Lithuanian). 9 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.