ISTANBUL (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Jonas Valanciunas looks intimidating on the court, with the huge frame, big beard and in-your-face dunks at FIBA EuroBasket 2017. But off the court he's humorous and talkative and steadily taking the reins as the leader of the Lithuanian national team.

The mountain of a man from Utena leads the Lithuanian team in scoring (16.4 points per game) and rebounds (11.4 rebounds per game), while also averaging 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals. He is a major reason why Lithuania won Group B in Tel Aviv with a 4-1 record.

"He is a huge, huge power on our team. Most of the time we have a huge advantage with him under the basket," Lithuania point guard Mantas Kalnietis said about Valanciunas. "Nobody can stop him one-on-one. Most teams try to double team him and that gives us more freedom."

When asked what he brings to the team at FIBA EuroBasket 2017, Valanciunas lists: "Energy, rebounding, scoring in the low-post, helping on the low-post, talking. I can tell you a lot of different areas. But it's just playing basketball."

The 6ft 11in (2.11m) Valanciunas continues to refine his game with more moves around the basket. But there is still the tried and true set-up for Valanciunas - the alley-oop.

"It's easy to play with him. You just throw a high pass and he can catch it and dunk," said playmaker Adas Juskevicius, who is playing his third major tournament with Valanciunas. "He's a big time NBA player. Because of his size and his abilities he can do a lot of things."

One thing Valanciunas is working hard on is improving his free-throw percentage. Long after his teammates have left the court after practice, Valanciunas stands calmly at the free throw line, flicks the ball out with backspin to himself, takes three dribbles, pauses, bends down and comes back up to release the free throw. One of the team's assistant coaches catches the made free throw, offers an affirmative "taip" (yes) in Lithuanian and passes back to the relaxed giant. The next free throw goes in, and the next, and the next.

When his free-throw shooting is brought up in an interview, Valanciunas, who is hitting 73 percent so far at EuroBasket, says: "Most of the time I am working on my shot. That is the next step for me: adding a mid-range shot, maybe in the future you're gonna see a three-point shot."

As if Valanciunas' power game was not enough, he could be truly unstoppable if defenders also need to guard him at the three-point line as well. 

The work as a basketball player is also evolving off the court. There are still Jonas moments, ones where you think he's a giant loving, light-hearted kid and jokester.

At the end of the post-game press conference for the Italy game, Valanciunas banged the microphone while he was getting up. The moderator said light-heartedly: "Jonas just broke the mike," to which Valanciunas responded: "Yeah, sorry ... write a bill to the Lithuanian federation." 

But such moments and his big smile are accompanied more often now with efforts in becoming more of a leader to his teammates off the court.

"He's growing up and becoming the leader of the national team. Not only on the court but he's trying to make chemistry off the court. It's normal," said Kalnietis, who spending his sixth summer with the 25-year-old Valanciunas at the senior level, including their fourth FIBA EuroBasket.

"It's not easy because he's still young but he's learning. I hope the next couple of years he will grow up more and more, and the Lithuania national team will benefit like the Spanish national team with Gasol."

While Kalnietis and Juskevicius have gotten to know Valanciunas over the years, the NBA center was only viewed from afar by, or described to Lithuania coach Dainius Adomaitis, who took over the national team last year after the 2016 Olympics, and is only now getting his first taste of Valanciunas.

"I am really surprised about his attitude. He has a really high-level attitude as a player and a person," Adomaitis said. "He's really a professional and he's really focused on his job. He knows how important this is to Lithuania and the Lithuania Basketball Federation."

Valanciunas, however, deflects any talk of him being more of a leader on the Lietuva team.

"We don't have a main leader. We are strong only as a team, not as individual players," the five-year veteran of the Raptors said.

The continued development of Valanciunas both on and off the court will be a major indicator if Lithuania remain among the elite teams in Europe and the world.

"He needs to learn day-by-day to be a leader to build his leadership. He is doing that pretty good," Adomaitis said. "One day he will become a big, big leader of the national team because he has everything."

The size, the beard, the dunks - gulp - the three-point shot .... and the leadership skills of a proven winner.

FIBA