Photo: fiba.basketball

Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman sees Jonas Valanciunas as the ideal centerpiece for orchestrating the offense in the team’s second unit.

In his view, the big man has the court vision and skill set to take on the role of a “point center” – essentially functioning as a playmaker from the frontcourt.

“Point center. You can play combo guards. You don’t need a lead point guard (in lineups with Valanciunas),” Adelman said on ESPN’s Summer League broadcast.

Adelman believes Valanciunas allows the team to experiment with more flexible lineups and offensive schemes.

“You can play five-out offense, play off the elbow, post him up. He’s such a skilled player. … He shoots the ball better than most people realize. So that’s how I envision him. I think you have multiple combination guards. You can get away with that with a guy like that.”

Valanciunas has played 13 seasons for 5 teams, including the Raptors and Pelicans. He has averaged 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds in 937 regular-season games.