Can someone give an update/recap on how this kid looks after a year and what his strengths are? Don't feel like reading through 32 pages. Thanks.
I don't think we need to clean out space for him on the roster (namely getting rid of Scola). We only have 4 big men right now (two of which are centers who are signed only through the end of this season). Not to mention he's only 21 and will probably be brought along slowly next year. I see mainly as a 5 anyway considering his length and a lack of good options at center.
Strength: Post game (can finish with either hand) Range out to the 3-point line Ball handling Court vision/Passing ability Runs the floor well Diversity on offense Weakness: Defense (especially post D) Inconsistent Shot Still needs to get stronger
Don't forget rebounding as a strength. Rebounding is something that translates to the NBA game pretty well in most cases.
Well... to be quite honest I'd be hesitant to list rebounding as one of Motiejunas' strengths. He has gotten better, that's for sure, but some of his rebounding numbers are inflated due to some the weak competition he has faced. He'll probably end up being a serviceable rebounder in the NBA, but I wouldn't say that rebounding is something Motiejunas really excels at. Remember, at last year's draft, rebounding was actually considered one of his weaknesses.
He set the record for rebounds. I don't know how weak his competition in Europe is, however given that he's playing and battling grown ass men for the boards in terms of boardwork I think he's facing a league higher in level than the NCAA.
I hope DMo comes over, but if he stays 2 more years in Europe he is released from the contract restrictions of a first round pick, so he could literally make the MLE or more from the Rockets just by waiting 2 years in Europe.
That is a dangerous game to play. One blown up knee and he would have to work at an actual job for the rest of his life instead of driving around in a Porsche. Could he even fit a Porsche?
Perhaps, but they play far fewer games in Europe than the USA, and he would still only be 22 when he comes over, and making a LOT more money than he would as a restricted first round pick. It would be the better business move.
He set the Euroleague defensive rebounding record. He had 18 defensive rebound and 21 in total. http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/50125/arti.html Grabbing 20+ rebounds is no small feat, I think only 2 or 3 other players have done it.
I watched that game. Olimpija (Prokom's opponent) had just lost their best players (Danny Green, amongst others), so they had to play some of their youth-squad players. D-Mo played against 16-, 18- & 19-years olds in that game. Some men, too, but overall that team was just a mess. Now, I'm not trying to bad-mouth D-Mo's record or his improvement on the glass, but you have to keep things in perspective and look at the level of competition he's faced in each game. The drop-off in quality of play between a good Euroleague team and some random Polish league team is enormous.
Im not sure if he broke it, or just tied it but he matched the Euroleague record. Yeah. He...ok. That being said, the thing that I like about him is that the Rockets worked with him this last summer and said this is the key focus we want you to work on, and not only does he improve, he takes what they said to heart. Thats telling right there of someone who can push himself enough in practice to really take the next level in his game. I think ultimately the Rockets will have him play behind the regulars now, but I think he's someone that McHale will salivate at using on the court and he's the type of coach that wouldn't think twice about using him even as a rookie. As long as D-Mo shows in training camp that he's going to bust his A$# on defense I have no doubt he will be in the rotation next year at least after the trade deadline in February.
