Stats
Strengths
The only international prospect in our top 14, Donatas Motiejunas mirrors abilities of the most successful overseas players in the league today. Montiejunas is a fluid 7-footer with surprising ball-handling skills for his size and a deep-range jumper. Watching film of the talented power forward, immediate comparisons to Pau Gasol are generated. He is exceptionally athletic that works well off picks when sliding out to the perimeter for a long range shot. In the post, Montiejunas keeps his defender guessing with a potpourri of moves that are initiated by terrific footwork. He seems to thrive in either a fast pace-transition type of game or within the halfcourt set as the tempo slows down. The versatility Motiejunas offers is special and in the next three or four years, he could be considered the star of the 2010 Draft. By Jonah Ballow
Weaknesses
When glancing at Motiejunas' bio, a double-take is the immediate reaction after looking at his weight. His long frame is only supported by 220 pounds, clear evidence that Motiejunas needs significant time with a strength coach to make the jump to the NBA. Opposing players will abuse him on the blocks and use their weight advantage to hold Montiejunas away from the paint. Scouts believe he is not prepared to face NBA caliber big men this upcoming season as he needs time to increase physical and mental strength. By Jonah Ballow
How would he howl?
The Wolves are still considering the additions of Darko Milicic and Nikola Pekovic for the 2010 season. Those two players along with Kevin Love and Al Jefferson create quite a logjam at the forward/center positions. However, it sounds like Motiejunas is a couple of years away from his NBA debut, which allows Minnesota to hold another top flight prospect overseas to stockpile talent. The possibility of the Wolves featuring Ricky Rubio and Montiejunas in two years is an intriguing 1-2 punch to consider. By Jonah Ballow
His Game Resembles
Draft Profiles
Chad Ford's Top 100
"Montiejunas has declared for the draft. Over the course of the past year, he's done little to move the needle on his draft stock. Scouts were very high on him after the Nike Hoop Summit last year. He moved to Benetton to play against better competition, but that meant a serious cut in playing time. He still shows all the requisite skills that NBA scouts covet, but he still needs to gain a lot of strength to compete in the NBA. He's a likely late lottery pick if he stays in the draft. "Draft Express
"With added experience underneath his belt, and a growing role, Motiejunas is quickly emerging as one of the most versatile big men in the Italian league. The place that shows up the most is on the perimeter, where Motiejunas is showing outstanding potential taking his man off the dribble in creative fashion, often spinning his way through the lane for some incredibly impressive finishes."NBADraft.net
"ersatile lefty bigman with a high ceiling ... Has a lot of potential due to his size, agility and offensive development ... A finesse 4-man with excellent versatility, but shows the toughness to play inside with contact ... Shows a strong ability to run the floor and change directions, start and stop ... Has great legs (strong) and feet (quick) ... Has inside/outside ability with the ability to defend inside and play with his back to the basket, as well as knock down shots on the perimeter ... "
Mock Draft Recap
Ford's Mock Draft
No. 21 to Oklahoma City Draft Express
No. 14 to Houston NBADraft.net
No. 11 to New Orleans