Despite Josh Smith's Arrival, Donatas Motiejunas Remains Critical to Rockets

The Houston Rockets weren't out on the market for another power forward, but when Josh Smith became available at a ridiculously low price, they had to pick him up. Now the Rockets are stacked at the power forward position, and the question becomes: Where does Donatas Motiejunas fit?

For now, it isn't even clear who the starter is. In Smith’s first game as a Rocket on Dec. 26, Motiejunas got the nod. Smith took the court first in the next four, and then it was Motiejunas’ turn again on Jan. 3.

And then there’s Terrence Jones (who I’ll discuss in more detail in my next article), who was the starter until he went out with a peroneal nerve contusion just four games into the season.

When the Rockets signed Smith on Dec. 24, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, it was for cheap:

And per ESPN.com's Marc Stein, it came with the promise of him starting.

The Rockets have put themselves in a situation not unlike that of the Chicago Bulls and will probably take a similar approach. Both teams have three starting-caliber power forwards to complement an All-Defensive center.

The Bulls have managed to find time for all four of their elite bigs by utilizing Pau Gasol as both a center and a power forward, and Houston can do the same with Motiejunas. He’s the key to the Rockets’ flexibility with their bigs.

He can play the 4 or 5, and he can play inside or outside on offense or defense. All of that makes him compatible with any of the other bigs, able to work around what they do. He’s not a superstar in any sense. But he’s capable, and sometimes capable is what’s required.

On Offense

Basketball-Reference.com estimates that 54 percent of Motiejunas’ minutes have come as a power forward and 46 percent have come as a center, so Houston is already splitting his minutes fairly evenly. And he’ll still get time at both positions because of his flexibility.

According to NBA.com/Stats, he shoots 56.2 percent inside of five feet, which is a little shy of the league average of 58.6 percent, but it’s close enough to be effective. His hook shot is effective. That, combined with his rapidly developing footwork in the post makes him a legitimate threat inside. 

Similarly he’s shy of the NBA norm in three-point percentage at 29.4. But from the corners he’s 9-of-28, which is just enough to demand he be accounted for. His shot is awkward looking, and he's never going to light up the world from outside, but it's just enough to be accounted for. 

That means he can play 4-out with Howard, or he can utilize his post-up skills when lining up with Jones. When paired with Smith, Motiejunas presents enough of a threat that even just by drawing the defending center to the other side of the rim, he can create opportunities for Smith to drive and dunk like this:

On Defense

Motiejunas is also effective at either position defensively. One of the underrated aspects of his game is his effectiveness on closeouts. His opponents shoot just 29.6 percent from deep against him, which is 5.5 percent below their season averages. And that accounts for 29.6 percent of the shots he defends.

They have no more success against him trying to score inside either. Within six feet of the rim, his opponents shoot an eye-opening 9.3 percent below their season averages. That accounts for 33.5 percent of the shots he defends.

According to Vantage Sports, he has a 59.47 Contest+, which is the percentage of shots he defends that are blocked, altered or contested (meaning he is within three of the shooter with his hands up). His rate is the second-best in the league of any player who has defended 500 attempts.

He tends to close hard, and what he lacks up for in speed, his seven-foot length makes up for. His size also makes him a hard man to push around in the post. He's adapted to the more physical American style of play, and turned himself into a legitimate rim protector. 

Because of his ubiquitous defense, he can play alongside any of his frontcourt counterparts.

When he’s paired together with Howard, the Rockets’ defensive rating is just 94.0 in 330 minutes, so it’s really not a matter of speculation in regard to that partnering.

However, due to Smith’s recent acquisition and Jones’ injury, both have insufficient playing time with Motiejunas to make any statistical comparisons meaningful. We do know that when Motiejunas is on the court with Kostas Papanikolaou—who frequently plays the 4 when Motiejunas is the 5—the Rockets’ defensive rating is 101.5.

While that’s certainly worse, it’s still equivalent to the 11th-best in the NBA. That’s not bad for a backup 4 serving as a 5. And it’s reasonable to expect that he could hold down at least that number alongside either Smith or Jones.

The reason Motiejunas remains critical to the Rockets is his malleability to all of the other bigs. Whatever they need him to be to complement their abilities, he can be on both ends of the court. And that allows their strengths to come out. In that regard, he’s something of a perfect role player and the major reason he remains critical to the Rockets.

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com.