从我的基督教观点来看，人性既有致命的缺陷，也有超乎想象的无限的爱。无论是在政治、战争中，还是日常生活中，我们一次又一次地证明自己的破碎，但这并不能改变上帝对我们每个人的无情的爱。
我的本意不是要说教，而是想反省一下，在我们周围的普通世界里，我们如何看待我所相信的真理的细微方面。特别是在NBA领域，乔纳斯·瓦兰齐乌纳斯与孟菲斯灰熊队球迷的关系让我想起了这一点。
克里斯尼科尔今日美国体育
从他进入NBA的时候起，很少有人能像乔纳斯·瓦兰齐乌纳斯那样成为一个传统的大个子。本赛季，他篮板排名联盟第二，得分排名联盟第三。他强壮的体魄、羽毛般的触感和娴熟的脚法让你想起了一个时代，他的原型球员是冠军球队的焦点。同样，他在很多方面成为了扎克·伦道夫的精神继承人，就像狄龙·布鲁克斯成为托尼·艾伦的精神继承人一样。
在一个现在注重速度和空间的NBA，乔纳斯·瓦兰齐乌纳斯是一封活生生的情书，写给灰熊球迷非常珍惜的磨砺时代。特别是在本赛季，他可以说是灰熊队最好的球员，他场均得到17.2分和12.5个篮板，命中率为59%。在一个热爱蓝领明星的城市里，瓦兰齐乌纳斯是一个勤劳的普通人，他让墨菲人想起了一个过去的时代，在这个时代，只要一点点勇气和磨砺就足以赢得这场战斗。
然而，他也不幸地提醒了我们灰熊篮球时代的破碎。尽管坚韧不拔可以赢得许多战斗，但最终却永远无法赢得这场战争。你可以选择不去温柔地进入那美好的夜晚，但是当你没有工具去度过它的时候，夜晚仍然是不可避免的。
彼得托马斯今日美国体育
乔纳斯·瓦兰齐乌纳斯根本不具备成为灰熊队的首发中锋的能力。因为正如他对现代NBA的逆向风格一样令人钦佩和不可否认的影响，事实证明，在季后赛中，面对那些每时每刻都在防守上攻击他的球队，他最终会被消耗殆尽。
公平地说，瓦兰齐乌纳斯不是一个“坏”的后卫。事实上，在下降覆盖率这几乎是唯一的防守计划，灰熊使用他在过去的一年里，他实际上是相当坚实的，这是我在几个月前详细讨论过的。但他辩护的问题在最后一句的中间部分。由于他缺乏侧向移动能力和灵活性，空投掩护是灰熊队在球场上唯一可以持续使用的防守方案。
而在季后赛中，当你面对拥有精英射手和投篮创造者的非凡球队时，比如犹他爵士队与多诺万·米切尔、迈克·康利和乔丹·克拉克森的对决，丢球报道不能成为你唯一能承受的保护。
克里斯尼科尔今日美国体育
如果说爵士在瓦兰齐乌纳斯在场上的时候消灭了灰熊的防守，那就太轻描淡写了，数字也证明了这一点。爵士队在他在场上的进攻得分为128.3，在他不在场上的进攻得分为117.4，他们的eFG在他在场上的得分为60%，在他不在场的情况下得分为54%。有些人认为这是因为小杰伦·杰克逊在这个系列赛中在替补中锋的位置相当稳固，但事实是灰熊队被简单的球网彻底击垮了，他们只是无法调整他们的计划，试图取消开放式引体向上三分，因为没有真正的调整，可以作出由于瓦兰齐乌纳斯的身体限制。
泰勒·詹金斯会不会更具创造性，尝试一些疯狂和创造性的东西，比如把瓦兰修纳斯放在罗伊斯·奥尼尔身上，试图让他远离球网的情况，就像史蒂夫·科尔在2015年给托尼·艾伦打了安德鲁·博古特一巴掌，这样他就可以自由地在球场上游荡？当然，但是一个教练不应该为了补偿他最好的球员而走极端。
作为一个真正的冠军争夺者，你不能让一个球员在你的首发阵容中，你必须在季后赛的情况下弯腰去弥补，不管在一个漫长的常规赛过程中，这个球员的某些技能有多么有价值或影响。瓦兰齐乌纳斯在他擅长的领域有着巨大的影响力，但他目前角色中的致命缺陷最终会阻止灰熊达到他们渴望达到的雄心勃勃的高度，如果他长期留在那里的话。
彼得托马斯今日美国体育
然而，他的坚韧和对主导性的体育游戏的嗜好只会使他的破碎更加救赎。因为虽然他的局限和缺陷可能会让他无法成为下一支真正伟大的灰熊队的焦点，但孟菲斯人会永远爱他，珍惜他，因为他如此明确地体现了蓝领身份。
就像他之前的灰熊队一样，乔纳斯·瓦兰齐乌纳斯可能永远不够，但这永远不会影响他在孟菲斯的遗产，因为孟菲斯灰熊队的球迷对他的爱和欣赏。
虽然我们作为人可能永远不够，因为我们自己的缺陷和破碎，我们，这个现实永远不会阻止上帝无限的爱和追求我们每一个人。
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原标题：
The redemptive brokenness of Jonas Valanciunas
原文：
From my Christian perspective, humanity is both fatally flawed yet also infinitely loved beyond imagination. Whether in politics, war, or just everyday living, we exemplify our brokenness time and time again, but that does not change the unrelenting love that God has for each of us.
My intention with this lede is not to preach, but rather to reflect on how I think we can see minute aspects of what I believe to be this truth in the ordinary world around us. In the realm of the NBA specifically, the relationship that Jonas Valanciunas has with the fans of the Memphis Grizzlies reminds me of it.
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
From the time that he has entered the NBA, very few have excelled as a traditional big man like Jonas Valanciunas. For this season, he was second in the league in rebounding and third in the league in paint points . His combination of imposing physicality as well as feathery touch and skilled foot-work remind you of a time in which players of his archetype were the focal points of championship teams. In that same vein, he has in many ways become the spiritual successor to Zach Randolph — much like Dillon Brooks has become that to Tony Allen.
In an NBA that now focuses on pace and space, Jonas Valanciunas is a living and breathing love letter to the Grit ‘N’ Grind era that Grizzlies fans cherish so much. For this season in particular, he was arguably the Grizzlies’ best player, as he averaged a Randolph-esque 17.2 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting 59% from the field. In a city that loves its blue-collar stars, Valanciunas has been the hard-working everyman who reminds Memphians of a bygone era in which just a little bit of grit and a little bit of grind were often enough to win the battle.
However, he has also unfortunately reminded us of the brokenness of that era of Grizzlies basketball. That while grit and grind could win many battles, it ultimately could never win the war. You can choose to not go gentle into that good night, but the night is still inevitable when you don’t have the tools to get through it.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Jonas Valanciunas simply does not have the tools at his disposal to be the starting center of a championship-contending Grizzlies team. Because as admirable and undeniably impactful as his contrarian style to the modern NBA may be, it has proven to ultimately consume him in the postseason against teams that aim to attack him defensively at every single opportunity.
To be fair, Valanciunas is not a “bad” defender. In fact, in drop coverage which is pretty much the only defensive scheme that the Grizzlies use him in, he was actually quite solid this past year, which I discussed in detail a few months ago. But the problem with his defense is found in the middle portion of the last sentence. Because of his lack of his lateral mobility and agility, drop coverage is the only defensive scheme that the Grizzlies can consistently use when he’s on the court.
And in the playoffs when you’re facing off against phenomenal teams with elite shooters and shot-creators, like the Utah Jazz with Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson, drop coverage cannot be the only shield that you bring to bear.
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
To say that the Jazz annihilated the Grizzlies’ defense when Valanciunas was on the court would be a vast understatement, and the numbers play this reality out. The Jazz had a 128.3 offensive rating with him on the court and a 117.4 rating with him off, and their eFG% was 60% with him on the court and 54% with him off. Some this can be attributed to the fact that Jaren Jackson Jr. was actually fairly solid at backup center in the series, but the truth is that the Grizzlies were getting absolutely slaughtered by simple ball-screens, and they just couldn’t adjust their scheme to try to take away open pull-up threes because there was no real adjustment that could be made due to Valanciunas’ physical limitations.
Could Taylor Jenkins have been a bit more creative and tried something crazy and inventive such as placing Valanciunas on Royce O’Neal to try to keep him out of ball-screen situations, much like Steve Kerr slapped Andrew Bogut on Tony Allen in 2015 so that he could freely roam the paint? Sure, but a coach shouldn’t have to go to such extremes to compensate for supposedly one of his best players.
To be a true championship contender, you can’t have a player in your starting lineup that you have to bend over backwards to compensate for in postseason situations, no matter how valuable or impactful certain aspects of that player’s skillset may be over the course of a long regular season. Valanciunas is immensely impactful in the areas in which he’s skilled, but his fatal flaws in his current role will ultimately keep the Grizzlies from reaching the ambitious heights that they aspire to reach if he remains there long-term.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
However, his tenacity and penchant for dominantly physical play only make his brokenness all the more redemptive. Because while his limitations and flaws may keep him from being a focal point on the next truly great Grizzlies team, Memphians will always love and cherish him because of the blue-collar identity that he so explicitly embodies.
Much like the Grit ‘N’ Grind Grizzlies before him, Jonas Valanciunas may never quite be enough, but that will never affect his legacy in Memphis because of the love and appreciation that fans of the Memphis Grizzlies have for him.
And while we as people may never be enough because of our own flaws and brokenness, we, that reality will never stop God from endlessly loving and pursuing each of us.
For more Grizzlies talk, subscribe to the Grizzly Bear Blues podcast network on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and IHeart. Follow Grizzly Bear Blues on Twitter and Instagram.
