Second Round, Bear Down: Johnathan Motley’s Athleticism Fuels Draft Case

2017 NBA Draft Preview

Athletic big men are a great target for teams picking in the second round. Could the Knicks look to bring in the Baylor Bear?

After previously existing in the large shadow of their prosperous football team, the Baylor Bears basketball squad has experienced a resurgence in recent years. They have made the NCAA Tournament four years in a row, and six out of the last eight years. Each time, they reached the pinnacle of college basketball as a sixth seed or better. Some Bears have played in the NBA–namely Quincy Acy, Perry Jones III, and Ekpe Udoh–but none have had much success. The one trait that they all had in common was their impressive athleticism. Johnathan Motley, star of this past year’s iteration of the Bears, is no different.

Motley led the team in scoring and rebounding this past season, putting up 17.3 points per game in addition to 9.9 rebounds (via RealGM). In his third season in Waco, Texas, he took some serious steps forward, stretching his shooting ability out to the three-point arc and learning more about what it takes to be a defender. Ultimately, Motley has a lot to like for any NBA team looking to secure a big man at the end of the second round. Let’s take a look at his projections for the upcoming draft.

Overview

DraftExpress currently has Motley going 36th overall to the Philadelphia 76ers in their latest mock, which would obviously mean that he would not get to the Knicks at 44 or 58. Meanwhile, The Ringer has Motley going 58th to the Knicks in their draft preview, with the following description:

While his exact position in this draft may be a tad unclear, I would assume that Motley will not be around at pick 58 for the Knicks, considering that all three writers for The Ringer had him below that 58 figure. That being said, it looks like Motley could be a target for the Knicks with the 44th pick, their first of two second round picks that they possess in this draft.

Offense

Motley’s greatest improvements during the 2016–17 college basketball campaign came on the offensive end of the ball. He took on the role of primary scorer for Baylor, boosting his scoring by over six points from his sophomore year to his junior year. While his field-goal percentage took a hit, dropping from 61.4 percent to 52.2 percent–his usage percentage shot up from 24.6 to 30.8–he showed both the college world and the NBA world that he could hold up professionally on this end of the floor. A few specific spots in his game have made that possible.

Athleticism

As mentioned above, the first thing that sticks out about Motley is his frame and athleticism. He is 6’9″, 230 pounds, and has a 7’4″ wingspan. His frame generates excitement among scouts because he has room to grow and he knows how to utilize his athletic ability in certain situations. There are advancements that Motley will need to make if he wants to be the force that his measurables would suggest that he should be, but the first step has already been covered thanks to a gift from the basketball gods.

Shooting

The ability to shoot as a big man is becoming more and more important with each passing year, and we hear about it ad nauseum during the draft. Motley isn’t ever going to be much of a reliable shooter, but he isn’t a complete zero. Here is his shot chart from last season:

Those colors don’t exactly inspire optimism about Motley’s shooting ability. However, if you look at his perimeter shooting from the previous year, he did progress. He’s got a decent stroke, and shows willingness to take his own shot:

In addition to the mid-range, Motley tried to stretch himself out a little bit more, attempting 32 threes this past season. While he only connected at a 28 percent clip, he is still raw and didn’t have many opportunities to shine from the perimeter. The shot could come with more work.

Post Game

Another part of his game that could use some work is his post game. While sometimes he looks smooth and effective from the block, he struggles whenever he faces pressure. Moves like this, while great…

…suddenly look like this when Motley has to deal with greater pressure:

Passing out of the post is never an easy thing for young players, but for someone like Motley, he will have to improve fairly drastically to even become adequate. He rushes his decisions often, and many times it looks like he doesn’t have an endgame in sight. Decision-making is one of the skills that will have to improve for the former Bear once he reaches the NBA.

Offensive Rebounding

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Motley’s game is his nose for offensive rebounds. He was 10th in the nation in offensive boards, with 3.7 of his 9.9 total rebounds per game coming on the offensive end (per Basketball-Reference). Watch him bully potential back-end lottery selection Jarrett Allen out of the paint to secure a good 2 from in close:

If Motley gets drafted above where he is projected to go, then this will be why. Some NBA teams completely give up the idea of offensive rebounding to prevent the opposition from getting easy transition opportunities, but those that value the boards highly may take a long, hard look at the Baylor Beast.

Defense

Scheme

Much like concerns that come from prospects out of Syracuse, there are defensive concerns with those that come from Baylor. Since the Bears play primarily a zone defense, Motley was not often tasked with using his body to its maximum ability while defending. Thus, he struggles with some simple tasks, such as boxing out and setting his feet. This leads to a boatload of fouls. Motley committed 3.1 fouls during his 30 minutes per game last season, mostly because of his lack of discipline and knowledge of typical defensive schemes. He is incredibly susceptible to pump fakes, and offensive players were easily able to shed him with basic movements. In the league today, we see big men that can’t defend lose minutes if they aren’t shooters. In addition to preventing fouls, learning how to properly defend the pick-and-roll in the NBA is a critical skill of any big.

If Motley can’t improve this facet of his game, then he won’t be able to solidify a role in the association.

Rebounding

As I briefly mentioned above, boxing out is a bit of an issue for Motley when the opposition is attacking the basket. He does a poor job of asserting himself when he should. With his physical traits, things like this should never happen:

Some have complained that Motley isn’t always going 100 percent, which doesn’t concern me much. While at Baylor, he was asked to shoulder a huge load on the offensive end of the floor, while also asked to anchor the paint on defense. When he comes into the NBA, the team that picks him will not ask him to do either of those things for long stretches of time, if at all. He’ll be able to assert himself in limited minutes if he commits himself to the role.

Conclusion

There’s a lot to like about Motley’s offensive game. He has a decent handle for a big man, runs the floor remarkably well in transition, and can even take on the role of ball handler in a pick-and-roll scenario:

He loves to utilize the euro-step, and is nothing short of a bull around the rim. His shooting and post game certainly aren’t anything to write home about at this stage, but with some seasoning and experience, Motley could become a competent big man to bring energy off of an NBA bench.

Motley certainly has a lot of room to grow on the other end of the floor, though, perhaps more so than offensively. He did block over a shot per game during each season, but adjusting to the NBA will take a lot of work. We’ve seen big men struggle to adjust quickly to the defensive end of the NBA game (looking at you, Mr. Hernangómez), but with the right mindset and a nurturing environment, improvements can come along with practice.

Best Case Pro Comparison: Poor Man’s Tristan Thompson, Clint Capela

Johnathan Motley could potentially offer a lot to an NBA team. He runs the floor well, hammers down on the offensive glass like a fiend, and is proficient in the PnR. I’m not sure if Motley is the best fit for the Knicks, considering their incessant thirst for the Triangle, but he could carve out a role in this league down the road, archaic offensive systems be damned.

— Matt Spendley, associate editor

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Second Round, Bear Down: Johnathan Motley’s Athleticism Fuels Draft Case was originally published in The Knicks Wall on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.