One of last year’s projected top five selections in the NBA Draft has declared instead for the 2011 edition of the world’s biggest hoops talent lottery: Big man Donatas Motiejunas deferred in 2010 because “really felt like he needed another year of international ball before he was ready for the NBA” … so how has one more go-around with Benetton Treviso enhanced his chances in the American league?
Approximately one year ago, the following was BallinEurope’s take on Motiejunas, in part.
Strengths: Donatas is a highly touted, talented centre coming out of Benetton Treviso (the same team that produced NBA draftees such as Toni Kukoc, Jorge Garbajosa and Andrea Bargnani) and is a shooting centre with range all the way out to the 3-point line and can hit it from almost anywhere, as well as this he has a good dribble-drive and can finish with either hand, resulting in him being exceptionally hard to guard…
Weaknesses: Unfortunately, due to his obvious talent, Motiejunas sometimes lets his game drop to a lower level against lower opposition and needs to learn to keep his game at a high even against lesser NBA players, as the level of talent will be a lot higher than he is used to: He cannot let his game slip against them. Motiejunas’ last and only other weakness is his lack of experience, as he is only 19 and has not yet had the sort of experience other European bigs such as Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol had when they entered the NBA…
Evaluation: In the end, whoever picks up Donatas is looking at a great player and maybe a team cornerstone (much like Dirk was for Dallas): He has great athleticism and size and will continue to develop over time. Overall, I feel Motiejunas is a much better player than last year’s number two overall pick, Hasheem Thabeet.
(Prescient comment by Sam Chadwick there on Thabeet, eh?)
In 2010-11, Motiejunas has seen more quality time with Treviso in averaging over 25 minutes of play per Serie A game. In those minutes, he’s averaged 13.5 points and 4.3 boards per game. He’s improved his two-point shooting to 58.7% (up from 54.2% in 2009-10) and has developed quite a nice three-point shot, going for 43.9% beyond the arc on those intermittent occasions he’ll deign to take one – though these opportunities will surely be plutonium-rare in the NBA.
While his shooting stats weren’t quite as impressive in Eurocup play (although you gotta love those super-aggro 5.6 rebounds per game) Motiejunas has been on a tear in Italy as of late in averaging 21.5 points in his last four games and culminating in an (American) eye-opening 31-point, 14-rebound show against Vanoli Cremona last Saturday (see video below) to celebrate his declaration for the draft.
While all official sources indicate that Donatas’ weight (101 kg or 224 pounds) has stayed exactly the same as it was 11 months ago – always a concern for NBA scouts figuring upper-body strength to be elusive at best in European big men – the evidence suggests otherwise. No matter what the American scales say, the truth is that Motiejunas has made a real effort to improve both his game with back to the basket and his general physicality.
Earlier in the season, Jonathan Givony over at DraftExpress gushed muchly about the Lithuanian; in tones representative of the high marks from all quarters for his progress this season, Givony remarked that “the 7-foot Lithuanian has blossomed into one of the best scoring big men in all of European basketball at the tender age of 20, and likely the most skilled power forward/center in the draft. Offensively, it’s getting easier and easier to see where the comparisons with Pau Gasol are coming from.
“Two things jump out at you immediately when comparing Motiejunas with how he looked last season: his comfort level offensively and improved body. He’s added a solid 10-15 pounds of good weight to his frame over the summer…
“Motiejunas’ improved frame has helped him considerably when it comes to scoring inside the paint, as he’s doing a much better job of establishing post-position, and is in turn attempting much higher percentage shots and getting to the free throw line at an outstanding rate…
“He’s still the same incredibly skilled big man we’ve always known, with his terrific hands, touch and footwork, but now he’s added a degree of physicality that compliments his finesse game quite well…
“Motiejunas has been responsible for some extremely impressive possessions inside the paint this season, creating his own shot with a wide array of fakes and spins, using the glass beautifully, finishing with either hand, and sometimes even throwing in some swooping sky-hooks running across the lane for good measure…
“He looks about as comfortable and natural as a big man can with his back to the basket, but is also fast enough in the open court that he’ll get himself at least one or two easy baskets a game just by beating his man down the floor.”
Fans of lottery teams, are you drooling yet? From the squall of mock drafts – which are really seriously theoretical at this point, considering the ping pong balls haven’t even dropped yet – we can imagine Motiejunas going to the Phoenix Suns, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Cleveland Cavaliers (o the poor man), or somewhere in the “late lottery.”
Motiejunas stated in March that, should a lockout come, he would be prepared to further his career on The Continent: “If there’s going to be a lockout, if I get drafted – it’s the same to me. If I go to the draft, or if I don’t go to the draft … One more year in Europe is not going to be bad for me.”
In the meantime, whichever fan base welcomes Motiejunas to America on June 23 will probably want to start keeping tabs on Team Lithuania in Eurobasket 2011; not chosen for the 2010 edition of the national squad, Motiejunas is thought to be a leading candidate to wear the green for the homers in August.
