Donatas Motiejunas, Lithuania Height 7'0" (2,14 metres) Wingspan 6'11" (According to the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit measurements) Cody Zeller 6' 11.5" 6' 8" Wingspan I wonder how he looks on court with this wingspan
The more I watch him, the more I feel he's more of a hybrid 3/4 than he is a hybrid 4/5. And I think he'll eventually be really good in that role. He only needs to play center in limited minutes when we're going small.
Preseason has shown he's much more of a development project than originally anticipated. I'd say at least 2-3 years of bulking up and getting used to the NBA style of physical play and he could be a contributor. Right now he has D-league written all over his confused face. The ultimate question is whether D-Mo has the personality to shake off a rough first year of being bullied as a backup center and use it to become a better player. Or would that year destroy his confidence and sidetrack his development. Prior to preseason I would say he has the confidence to shake it off, but seeing him so shell shocked during the OKC game was alarming. It might be better for D-Mo's long-term career to build his game/body/confidence in D-league this year until he's ready for NBA big men. I still think he'll be a special player, but its going to take longer than I thought/hoped.
Motiejunas has been disappointing in the past 2 games, hope he is able to adjust quickly to the NBA. His shooting is nice, and he can knock down an open jumper very well, although most of his points yesterday were in garbage time. His post ups yesterday were awful, airballed a couple spin hooks I think. Donates defense seemed kind of dazed, at one point someone made a shot right in front of him and he hadn't bothered to put a hand up, dunno wats up...
He really reminds me of Andrea Bargnani- who occasionally puts up good numbers but is woefully ineffective at being a center. With this being the case, I think eventually- assuming both are starting quality guys- we will have to choose between Jones and Motie.
Just came off an illness, needs time to recover. He has an impressive skill set. I think he is going to be outstanding as a PF.
Weaknesses: Being a 20 year old European and lacking strength means he will need time to adjust to the NBA game … Has some prima donna to him. He's talented and he knows it and often gets criticized for not being tough or showing enough passion for the game ... Poor rebounder for a big man. At times it appears he's averse to doing the "dirty work" … Defense could use a lot of work, at times looks uninterested in defending … Can be punished in the post … Streaky shooter … Needs to gain maturity, discipline, focus ... Lacks the strength of other post players … Poor anticipation skills leads to defensive lapses and missed rebounding opportunities … Not a very good free throw shooter, which is surprising considering his touch ... Weaknesses: Is extremely talented and he knows it. At times he doesn't keep the pedal to the metal, exhibiting some lapses in focus and intensity (laziness) in practices ... Sometimes appears content to be better than others without dominating them the way he's capable ... That's the type of thing that he'll need to mature out of, learning to work hard at all times in order to reach the stature of a Gasol or Nowitzki ... Still needs to add polish on his moves on the perimeter but has excellent potential to do so ... Has thin arms and upperbody, although he has solid strength. He'll need to get stronger to contend with NBA bigs ... Solid length (6-11 wingspan) but nothing extraordinary ... Not as experienced or established as other European talents (such as Gasol or Nowitzki) were when they entered the NBA. Sorry Im kinda lazy n tired so I won't type many words. I just have to agree with those draft reports above which are about his weaknesses so far.
i'd like to hear more about how Nowitzki was more established or experienced before entering the NBA from whoever wrote those reports
I agree completely. He likes to face the basket when playing offense. This also describes almost all of our forwards.
I just dont get why people on this board are so obsessed with his position. In an NBA defense alot of the time the PF and the C are interchangeable, and probably the weakest position in the NBA is the person listed as the "backup Center." So whats the issue here? Why is it such a big issue for this guy to play the post with another traditional PF coming off the bench? In all honestly, yes he's looked weak so far in the post on defense, but his fundamentals on the defensive end look really good. His main issue right now is lower body strength. Thats something that comes after about 2 seasons in the NBA and at least one full offseason training with specialty coaches at an NBA level. Offensively, I think he's ahead of most rookie big men. Ive said it before that skilled 7 footers dont come along very often, and when you have one you should feel lucky. He might not ever be the best player on the roster at any given time, but he could be the most valuable because of the uniqueness he brings and the fact that once he's proven every NBA team will be salivating at a chance at aquiring him. That's if he proves himself here in the next 2 seasons.
HE IS NOT A CENTER MCHALE! He is a beast PF. Just give him dat ball, i want him to be sixthman and change JONES NOT ASIK. I'm really upset that McHale can't realize that he won't make a Center from Donatas. He is PF and nothing more. Now he will be critisising about that he can't become center as Bargnani can't... He is not worthy of the criticism. He is PF.
