[Bleacherreport] Ranking the Top Combo Bigs of 2014-15 Season

Normalus · May 22, 2015

I laughed when I saw TJones over DMo, but after all we have two bigs in top7!

Full list of top 18

7. Donatas Motiejunas, Houston Rockets

Scoring (14/20): Donatas Motiejunas loves live action and hates stoppages in play. He was quite good from the field and beyond the three-point arc, shooting 50.4 and 36.8 percent, respectively. But he seemed to have a mental block at the stripe, connecting on just over 60 percent of his supposed freebies. If that part of his game develops, he'll become so much better—both because he'll be making those shots and because he'll likely be more aggressive when attacking the hoop.

Non-Scoring Offense (9/15): He's not a strong enough cutter to receive top marks as an off-ball threat, but having a consistent three-point stroke did wonders for him. The Lithuanian big man also managed to record more assists than turnovers for the first time in his NBA career, so he deserves some props for the improvement there.

Defense (33/40): Though Motiejunas isn't strong enough to avoid being bullied in the post, he does have the requisite size to function as a quality rim-protecting option. The 7-footer could capably slide into the paint and deter shots, holding opponents below 50 percent even if he didn't reject many of them.

Rebounding (9/15): With plenty of strong rebounders at smaller positions in the Houston lineup, it was harder for Motiejunas to record gaudy figures on the glass. Then again, he played for a Rockets squad that produced plenty of opportunities during an average game, so that factor just about negated the other. All in all, he didn't do much to stand out in either direction.

Intangibles (9/10): Until March 27, it looked like Motiejunas was going to make it through the season without suffering a single significant ailment. But then he suffered a back injury that caused him to be ruled out for the rest of the season.

Overall (74/100): Motiejunas was huge for the injury-riddled Rockets, especially when both Terrence Jones and Dwight Howard were out of the lineup. With his floor-stretching abilities and creative finishes—as well as his underrated defense around the rim—Houston was able to put another quality piece around James Harden. This Western Conference squad has to be thrilled that the 24-year-old is still on a bargain of a contract for another year.
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6. Terrence Jones, Houston Rockets

Scoring (14/20): Terrence Jones may rely on his teammates rather heavily when he's trying to score, but he does a nice job making Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey proud. He rarely lofts up those inefficient mid-range jumpers, instead focusing his efforts beyond the arc—where he's merely mediocre—and around the hoop.

Non-Scoring Offense (10/15): Even without a potent perimeter jumper, Jones can space out defenses and force them to be cognizant of his location at all times. After all, this southpaw is quite good at diving to the hoop and finishing in traffic, so long as there's not a body right in front of him.

Defense (34/40): If you expected this 6'9" power forward from Kentucky to struggle when he was filling in at the 5 and tasked with protecting the rim, you would be sorely mistaken. Maybe it was a bit fluky, driven by a relatively small sample size, but Jones was fantastic as the last line of defense. Not only was he highly involved in rim defense, but opponents also struggled to shoot better than 42 percent against him.

Rebounding (11/15): Playing big continued in this category, though it was a bit less surprising. After all, Jones had thrived on the glass during each of his first two seasons in the Association. That said, he could stand to tone down the aggression, as he put himself in too many situations that surely weren't going to result in a successful conversion, which means he would have been better served doing something else.

Intangibles (6/10): Health was a huge issue for Jones. First, nerve issues in his leg knocked him out for nearly three months. Then, he dealt with the flu over the All-Star break. After that, his lung collapsed, which he fought quite hard to recover quickly from. He missed so many games that he barely qualified for these rankings.

Overall (75/100): Don't be dissuaded by Jones' lackluster play down the stretch, as he recovered from a collapsed lung and then pushed himself to his physical limit as quickly as possible. The middle of his season was much more telling, as he was a flat-out revelation for the Rockets, given his expanded offensive arsenal and surprisingly excellent defensive efforts.
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straight forwar · May 22, 2015

They are not even watching games? Jones can't guard any center.

malakas · May 22, 2015

Horrible list. That's why I don't read any bleach bull****. Only their interviews-player stories are interesting.

SamFisher · May 22, 2015

Combo big? Lol.. does that just mean PF?

Normalus · May 22, 2015

SamFisher said: ↑

Combo big? Lol.. does that just mean PF?
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Power-Forward/Center

MuddyWaters · May 22, 2015

lol at terrence jones holding centers when he can barely hold 4s

Aleron · May 22, 2015

They think Jones is a better floor spacer and defender than Dmo?

And 37% from 3 for a 7 footer isn't mediocre

elainas · May 23, 2015

Just remember with one leg DMo last month shot near .450 from 3 ! FOr next season he will be prepared and gonna be starting foward all season long

robbie380 · May 23, 2015

Go home bleacher report. You're drunk.....again.

J Sizzle · May 23, 2015

This is good. I hope the perception is Jones is better than DMo. That trade value will rise!

daywalker02 · May 23, 2015

J Sizzle said: ↑

This is good. I hope the perception is Jones is better than DMo. That trade value will rise!
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It is actually only half a point... 1 percent.... lol

They are actually ranked the same.....Nobody is better..... I reserve my judgment here.

This year Dmo has been better but people forget last year TJones was healthier and much better than Dmo.

So yeah folks forget too fast

basketballholic · May 23, 2015

Cody Zeller at 18??? I'd trade #18 and Jones for CZ in a heartbeat.

Mason Plumlee is in no wise a 4/5. He's strictly a 5.

Bleacher Report-mostly little kids typing on their laptops.

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