Donatas Motiejunas to get first career start Wednesday vs. Bucks

By rahat huq | February 26, 2013 at 5:12 pm

via the Houston Chronicle.

There are few things more exciting than the first career start of an expected star, in any sport.  Fans call for it for months in advance.  Then, the coaches finally reward with the call.  Will the prodigy seize the opportunity and take hold of the position or squander the chance?

I had said back prior to the start of the season that by mid-year, Patrick Patterson would lose his starting spot to D-Mo.  I gave it until January.  We’re now in March.  It took trading Patterson to make it happen.

Now Motiejunas gets his full-time chance.  In his last two outings, he shone.  Now, he’ll be the starter.

It’s an exciting time because Donatas has the tools and the skillset to hold down the position for this team for the next decade.  Tomorrow, we could be watching the very start.

View this discussion from the forum.

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  • 2016Champions says 3 months ago
    Yeah, I'm very confident with our PF of the future. The only thing I worry about is the lack of a defensive stopper on the perimeter, and the lack of a back-up Center who can fill the huge void Asik leaves when he rests.
  • rockets best fan says 3 months ago

    d-mo will be our PF of the future. get use to him :rolleyes:he has all the intangables we are looking for in that position. he just needs time. I expect him to get better as he becomes accustomed to the nba. he clearly posesses both skill and desire. that's the winning formula for greatness. I am going to enjoy watching him grow up :)

  • Ostrow says 3 months ago

    Does 12 and 6 win?

  • ale11 says 3 months ago

    The thing was that he gave 100% on every play, run as fast as he could in transition and was eager to prove he deserved the starting job. Like phaketrash said, Asik was just like that and managed to get used to starter's minutes. It's not so much about stamina (I'm sure he played more than 30 minutes per game in RGV, although I'm not aware of the pace), it's about not running his ass off every single time, and that really is all about getting experience and recognize when you are needed down there in no time and when to take a breath.

  • tombrokeoff says 3 months ago

    nice! closer than me and more in depth as well.

  • feelingsupersonic says 3 months ago I had him at 16 pts, 40% fg, 8 reb and 6 ast.

    His line reads 13 pts, 44% fg, 7 reb and 5 ast.

    I thought he might have a block off of a hustle play and instead got a steal.
  • tombrokeoff says 3 months ago

    i was only 4 pts off nailing my prediction for him. hit the rebounds on the head.

  • phaketrash says 3 months ago

    DMo played really well tonight. The major knock against him that I saw (or anyone could have easily seen haha) was his stamina. Not used to 30 min yet. 3 or 4 min and he's breathing like he's about to pass out lol. Sure that will improve with time. Asik's gotten a lot better as the season's gone on.

  • Ostrow says 3 months ago

    I'm not sure how many people can watch the game, but I'm on in WI for law school right now so it is on local tv. So far D-Mo has played great. Things we've been worried about. He's moved his feet on D. Boxed out when his mad was near the basket. Offensively his 3 was good, had a really good pass. I'll try to do periodic updates when I'm watching, just for him.

  • bboley24 says 3 months ago

    Slow down guys. Remember KM pulls players the moment things go a rye. I can forsee a nervous MoTee coming out shooting and KM holding him to about 15-20min. If he gets in double figures with 4 or 5 rebounds... we should all be happy. We were content with PP. If Dmo can put up PP numbers right now... its a win.

  • Steven says 3 months ago

    If D-Mo is a 20/10 guy like some of you guys think, then why wasn't he starting? While Patterson's not bad, he's wasn't great either. D-Mo's got potential, don't get me wrong, I just don't think he's an all-star quite yet. I guess I'm the only one who thinks he isn't the second best player on the team besides Harden right now after a few games.


    Because Morey knew what they were and wanted maximize their trade value. Do you think he could have made the trade with The Kings if 2Pat hadn't been playing? He probably could have got a second round pick for Morris over the summer, but would it have been as high a pick as the suns second rounder will be for this year?

    Now Morey&McHale have their best 5 starting. It's gonna be some growing pains like the first month of the season, but hopefully come playoff time they will be clicking on all cylinders.
  • thejohnnygold says 3 months ago

    It would be surprising if he posts those numbers immediately....I certainly think he is capable as he develops more experience and strength. In some of the articles I posted about McHale in a different thread earlier today he talks about D-Mo's development.

    Most of what has held him back has been learning defense and gaining strength....we'll see if he's there yet soon enough. Frankly, I would say that D-Mo has more potential than Harden. Whether that ever comes to fruition is another matter.

  • timetodienow1234567 says 3 months ago

    If D-Mo is a 20/10 guy like some of you guys think, then why wasn't he starting? While Patterson's not bad, he's wasn't great either. D-Mo's got potential, don't get me wrong, I just don't think he's an all-star quite yet. I guess I'm the only one who thinks he isn't the second best player on the team besides Harden right now after a few games.

  • bob schmidt says 3 months ago

    I suspect that a fair number of opportunities will be given to D-Mo at the expense of Asik. Should be interesting, and may give both men a chance for big numbers... I look for Donatus to have 20+ points while Asik has close to 2o+ rebounds. Meanwhile, I expect Harden to happily join Lin with double figure dimes. Could there be a triple double looming for Harden? It wouldn't surprise me one bit.

  • tombrokeoff says 3 months ago

    17 & 7 (but I hope for better)

  • thejohnnygold says 3 months ago

    The scoring will come as that is a raw talent he possesses....I will be watching his rebounding and defense....would love to see 10+ boards and only to get burned a few times defensively. With potentially 50+ available rebounds (given our pace) asking him to snag 1/5 of them is fairly reasonable for a quick 7 footer. I think he is easily boxed out right now, but if he can slash to the basket as shots are mid-air I think he can get his hands on a lot of loose balls.

    His first big challenge comes Fri the 8th vs. GSW and David Lee

  • Ostrow says 3 months ago

    12 & 6

  • feelingsupersonic says 3 months ago I think he might have a better all around game than we might predict. As far as scoring down low he will have to deal with his man and then Larry Sanders patrolling the paint so sticking to outside shots might be the way to get his game going. If he can dish well then his offense near the basket could improve exponentially. I am thinking about 16 pts, 40%, 3 3pt, 8 reb and 6 ast, maybe 1 block.

    I am really excited to see him get his chance but if he has a bad game I won't think on it too much and will be more curious as to how he bounces back against Orlando.
  • Steven says 3 months ago

    Predictions on tonight? He could easily go for 20, but I don't want to get my hopes up.


    40 & 10.
  • Rahat Huq says 3 months ago

    Predictions on tonight? He could easily go for 20, but I don't want to get my hopes up.

  • tombrokeoff says 3 months ago

    STOKED!! Cant wait.

  • Red94 says 3 months ago New post: Donatas Motiejunas to get first career start Wednesday vs. Bucks
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