In selecting Jonas Valanciunas, the Raptors took the long-view in a way that mirrors what the Wolves did with Ricky Rubio.

With Rubio a Rookie of the Year candidate before going down for the season with a torn ACL, the Raptors are encouraged by the comparison.

"I don't like to make comparisons like that," Bryan Colangelo said. "Clearly the situation is one that you've drafted a young player, he's playing professional basketball somewhere else, it's not at the NBA level but he is continuing the process of growing and maturing as an individual and as a basketball player.

"He's playing minutes. I think all of that was favorable in Ricky's situation. Ricky probably got to the point where it was counter-productive because that last year in Spain he was really, if anything, going the opposite direction. It's almost like there was a disinterest, if you will, or he had a lot less impact. I'm sure that extra time in Europe was beneficial for him, but in his case, maybe it lasted just one season too long."