Report: Grizzlies to sit Valanciunas until opening night

The Memphis Grizzlies will sit center Jonas Valanciunas for the remainder of the preseason, a team source told the Commercial Appeal's David Cobb.

Valanciunas has experienced soreness in his foot throughout the preseason. However, he reportedly isn't dealing with any structural issues in his injured foot. It's believed that the soreness was due to the big man's workload with the Lithuanian national team at last month's FIBA World Cup and Grizzlies training camp, according to Cobb.

In a year split between the Toronto Raptors and Grizzlies, the 7-footer averaged 15.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in just 22.3 minutes per game last season.

This summer, Valanciunas signed a three-year, $45-million contract to remain in Memphis.

Other than Andre Iguodala - who could be traded or bought out prior to the start of the season - Valanciunas stands to enter the year as one of the oldest and most experienced players on the Grizzlies despite being just 27 years old and boasting seven seasons of NBA experience.