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Jonas Valanciunas stood out on the court because of his imposing size, tenacity on the boards, good hands and deft shooting touch.

The Raptors will miss all of those things, now that the 7-foot Lithuanian has been dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies along with C.J. Miles, Delon Wright and a second-round draft pick in exchange for Marc Gasol.

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They’ll miss what he brought off of the court, too.

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His humility, sense of humour, work ethic and positivity went a long way when it came to team chemistry.

From the day he joined the organization as a rail-thin 20-year-old, the affable big man belied his status as one of the most famous people in his homeland. A relatable 7-foot star prospect? That was Valanciunas, who mixed Borat voices and sayings with off-colour humour as his English came along to great effect. Even once he became fluent, the Borat impressions would still be broken out on occasion.

A class clown at times, but all business once he hit the court, as he proved time and time again in the playoffs when his higher-profile teammates didn’t always join him in elevating their games.