Donatas Motiejunas Finds His Niche In Dwight Howard’s Absence
Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Through the opening 22 games of the season the Houston Rockets find themselves with the third best record in a crowded Western Conference — a remarkable feat considering how injuries have decimated their frontcourt. In the absence of Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones, James Harden has carried them on a nighty basis, emerging as a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate along the way. However, while Harden has stolen the show, Donatas Motiejunas has been a bright spot in their recent success. Following two quiet seasons, the 7-foot power forward appears to have found his niche in the Rockets’ offense.
Motiejunas has shown signs of promise in the past but has been plagued with inconsistency. Much of that had to do with the Rockets utilising him strictly as a stretch-big. When playing alongside Dwight Howard, Motiejunas found himself floating around the perimeter instead of on the block. To no surprise, jump shots made up the bulk of his field goal attempts over his first two seasons in the NBA, which robbed him off the opportunity to play to his strengths.
While Motiejunas is capable of knocking down perimeter shots — he has made 52 three-pointers in his career — it’s more of a luxury rather than a key asset. He has only converted on 26.3 percent of those career threes and has struggled to take advantage of defenders running him off the line.
Fast forward to this season and Motiejunas hasn’t necessarily seen an uptick in scoring opportunities. Alternatively, he’s been able to find his groove by being in positions he’s more comfortable with.
With Howard and Jones nursing injuries, the Rockets have been left with a depleted big man rotation of Motiejunas, Joey Dorsey and Tarik Black. As Motiejunas is their only low post threat, he was inserted into the starting lineup and forced to carry more of the scoring load. Without Howard occupying the block, they couldn’t afford to have Motiejunas stand on the perimeter as he has done in the past, leading to him posting-up far more frequently.
The secret behind Motiejunas’ success has been his shot distribution. His Three-Point Attempt Rate — percentage of field goal attempts from three-point range — has dropped significantly, and the majority his shot attempts (81.6 percent) have come within 10-feet of the basket. Unlike the last two seasons, the bulk of his made field goals have been hook shots, not jump shots, which is a step in the right direction for his development.
Season (Games) | Hook Shots Made-Attempted | Jump Shots Made-Attempted | Field Goal Percentage | 3-Point Attempts Per 36 Minutes | 3-Point Attempt Rate |
2012-2013 (44) | 18-33 | 37-121 | 45.5 | 1.9 | .390 |
2013-2014 (62) | 34-65 | 42-133 | 44.3 | 1.4 | .284 |
2014-2015 (22) | 33-56 | 14-54 | 50.0 | 1.3 | .167 |
Motiejunas has made the most out of his newfound opportunity by displaying his agility and soft touch on the low block. His post moves aren’t extensive, but they’re highly effective. Against smaller defenders, he has powered his way to the rim and taken advantage of his 7-foot frame to shoot over them. Against bigger defenders, he has relied on his quickness to get around them and post moves to get them off balance. He’s also capable of shooting with both hands and has counter-moves if his first option is taken away.
The culmination of that has led to the best stretch of games in Motiejunas’ young career.
When Howard returns to the starting lineup, it’s on Kevin McHale to find ways to better incorporate Motiejunas in the offense. While he’s not the stretch-four the Rockets envisioned when they traded for him on draft night in 2011, he has a unique skill-set in the post that nobody else on the roster provides. His versatility as a shooter gives the Rockets an interesting dynamic to work with — whether it be by spotting-up or popping to vacant spots in the half court — but it’s clearly not his forte.
Motiejunas has thrived as a back to the basket big in the 11 games Howard has missed, averaging 14.3 points and 7.1 rebounds on 56.2 percent shooting. The Rockets can’t afford to not take advantage of that moving forward.
Statistics gathered from Basketball Reference.