Rockets won’t let Donatas Motiejunas get away
NBA Update – The Houston Rockets matched the offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets and re-signed forward Donatas Motiejunas on Monday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical and Mark Berman of Fox 26.
“It wasn’t a tough decision,” Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said, per Berman. “We don’t let players that we think are really going to be good players in the future get away.”
Per Wojnarowski, the Nets offer sheet was for four years and “likely” $35 million. The deal included “protections against recurring back problems that have sidelined Motiejunas” and “delivers the ability to void the final two years of the contract, as well as an opportunity to bail on the second season before the end of the 2016-17 season.”
Motiejunas, 26, averaged 6.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 14.8 minutes per game during the 2015-16 regular season, starting 22 games for the Rockets. He made an even bigger impact in the postseason, starting four games in the first round against the Golden State Warriors and averaging 8.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 19.7 minutes per contest.
Motiejunas found his stride late last season and has played well for the team in the past, which made his return a priority for Houston. He did appear in just 37 games last season, as a back injury cut his season in half, and he never replicated the 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game he gave the Rockets in the 2014-15 campaign.
The Rockets looked like a team that lacked chemistry throughout the 2015-16 season, which virtually guaranteed that changes to the roster were imminent. The power forward position was a weak point in general, though the addition of Ryan Anderson addressed that need.
Motiejunas’ back issues will be a concern, as will his inconsistent play, but Houston’s roster shakeup should benefit the Lithuanian (and the team in general), as he seems like an excellent fit in head coach Mike D’Antoni’s system.
Motiejunas seems unlikely to ever be a star, but he’s a solid player who can give the Rockets solid minutes and round out their frontcourt rotation.
Category: Basketball
