With Jonas Valančiūnas in foul trouble, former #Rockets big man Donatas Motiejunas played a key role Sunday as Lithuania upset Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Former Houston Rockets big man Donatas Motiejunas hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2018-19 season, but the 32-year-old remains an active professional basketball player in Europe.
At the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA and its cast of NBA players learned Motiejunas can still compete at their level.
In Lithuania’s shocking 110-104 upset (box score) of the Americans, Motiejunas played a key role. With New Orleans Pelicans star Jonas Valančiūnas limited by foul trouble, the seven-footer took on an expanded frontcourt role and seized the opportunity.
Motiejunas finished with 9 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, and the Lithuanians were plus-7 in his 21 minutes played.
Because Sunday’s game was the first U.S. loss, and it came in the second round, the Americans aren’t eliminated. Lithuania improved to 5-0 on the tournament, while Team USA is 4-1. Both will play in the eight-team quarterfinals on Tuesday and Wednesday.
But for Motiejunas, even if the stakes weren’t quite “win or go home,” it was clearly an opportunity to make a statement. He delivered.
Lithuania carving up USA in ball screens. Here's a Spain PNR with the pick & pop threat Donatas Motiejunas.
Jaren Jackson Jr. gives too much space/ they botch the coverage, and Motiejunas drains it pic.twitter.com/EOYKurl4WH
The NBA will allow teams to sign a replacement player if there’s an injury, a positive COVID-19 test or a player who chooses to sit out.
As the NBA prepares to resume the 2019-20 season in July, more details about the league’s plan are coming to light. In the event of an injury or a positive COVID-19 test during training camp or the regular season, teams will be able to sign replacement players from the free-agent pool.
The NBA will allow each team to bring 17 players (including their two-way guys) to Disney’s Wide World of Sports. There won’t be a limit on how many replacement players a team can sign, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Once the playoffs start on August 17, teams won’t be able to add any replacement players.
Every night, players will be tested for COVID-19; if a player tests positive, they must self-quarantine for 10-14 days while their team continues playing.
Not only will replacement players be necessary in the event of positive tests, they also could be called upon if a player is injured. Most teams will arrive in Orlando healthier than usual at this point in the season thanks to the four-month break, but a number of trainers and players have expressed concern that there could be more injuries than usual when the season resumes. After all, players have been working out on their own since mid-March and it’s hard to mimic game movements and intensity while training alone. Ramping back up slowly with a training camp (and potentially two or three exhibition games) should help, but there’s still increased injury risk.
Because this is an unprecedented situation, people around the NBA have no idea how teams will approach this transaction window and how many replacement players will be signed.
“I’m not sure if teams will rush to sign guys,” an agent said. “NBA rosters are already the biggest of any major sport in terms of the ratio of players on the roster to players on the court/field,” the agent explained. “In the NBA, it’s 15:5 (or 3:1) whereas it’s 25:9 (or 2.8:1) in MLB and 53:22 (or 2.4:1) in the NFL. And that doesn’t even include two-way players. I’m sure every team is aware of all the available G League guys and free agents. But in the playoffs, most rotations shrink to nine or 10 guys anyway. So, if you have 15 players, you should have five extra guys.”
“I’m curious to see if teams will sign free agents,” one Western Conference executive added. “I have no idea what will happen. At the end of the day, we’re just talking about a 15th man most likely, right?”
One Eastern Conference general manager pointed out that some teams may not consider signing replacement players at all, even if there is an injury or a positive COVID-19 test. Since a replacement player would have to quarantine for 10-14 days before playing, the team’s injured or sick player may be close to returning by the time the replacement player is finally able to take the court.
“I think as long as a team doesn’t have multiple players who get sick at the same time, they won’t sign anyone,” the general manager said. “I think most teams will just wait for their sick player to return.”
Some NBA teams with an open roster spot may decide to sign a free agent prior to arriving in Orlando rather than waiting until an injury or positive test occurs to address their depth. Technically, this player wouldn’t be a “replacement player,” but he’d be stashed on their roster in case of emergency. This would allow the player to go through training camp with the team as well as the initial quarantine period in Orlando. Then, if there is an injury or positive test, he would be able to play right away rather than having to quarantine for 10-14 days upon arrival like a replacement player would have to do.
Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion about how some players may choose not to play when the season resumes in Orlando. In recent weeks, a number of executives brought up this possibility and openly wondered what would happen if their players sit out because they didn’t want to be in the bubble for months and risk their health. Now, some players are also concerned that resuming play would shift the public’s focus away from the Black Lives Matter movement.
While it’s possible that enough NBA players speaking up would force the NBPA to back out of the plan to resume play, it seems more likely that the NBA will just allow each player to make their own decision when it comes to participating. If a player chooses to sit out, their team will resume play without them. These players wouldn’t face any consequences (aside from not being paid) and NBA teams would be allowed to sign a replacement player to take their place, according to a recent article by Wojnarowski.
There’s also some concern that players on fringe playoff teams will opt to play, but then want to leave the bubble or sit out as soon as their team is mathematically eliminated from the postseason. Players won’t want to put their health at risk and stay in the bubble if they aren’t playing for something. Some players (such as Damian Lillard) have already said that they wouldn’t risk their health to participate in meaningless games, and who could blame them?
“I feel like the eighth seed and the ninth seed could partially be determined by whose schedule sets them up against teams who are ‘tanking’ at the end,” said one Western Conference executive.
DeMarcus Cousins is one of the free agents who’s eligible to be signed. (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)
Interestingly, not all free agents are eligible to be signed as replacement players.
In order to be eligible, a player had to be on an NBA or G League roster this season or last season. Players who were overseas as of March 11, 2020 (when the NBA season was suspended) are not eligible to be signed, which rules out some notable free agents such as Lance Stephenson, Donatas Motiejunas, Greg Monroe and Miles Plumlee. If a player started the season overseas but got a FIBA clearance before March 11, they are eligible to be signed as long as they were on an NBA or G League roster in 2019-20 or 2018-19 (like Willie Reed, for example, who was in Greece to start the season but then got his FIBA clearance and signed with a G League team).
There are plenty of of notable free agents and former G League players who are eligible to be signed including DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, Darren Collison, Jamal Crawford, Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, Nik Stauskas, Kenneth Faried, Tyler Zeller, Jerian Grant, Corey Brewer, Tyler Johnson, Jodie Meeks, Michael Beasley, Nick Young, Trey Burke, Allen Crabbe, Jordan Bell, Justin Anderson, Tim Frazier, Tyrone Wallace, Ivan Rabb, Jarrod Uthoff, Amile Jefferson, Jonah Bolden, Tyler Ennis, Josh Magette, JP Macura, Ryan Broekhoff and Yante Maten among others.
While it’ll be interesting to see how the 22 NBA teams in the bubble utilize the replacement players, the eight teams who aren’t resuming play will be allowed to sign players during this transaction window too. Don’t be surprised if some of these teams take advantage of this opportunity to add a free agent and acquire their Bird rights.
“I would be on the lookout for a smart non-bubble team to add someone during the transaction window,” one NBA agent said. “Any team can sign guys from that same pool of talent and, I assume, pay guys the same pro-rated amount.”
In Wojnarowski’s article about replacement players, he confirmed that “the eight teams left out of the Orlando resumption are allowed to waive or sign players during the transaction window,” although “they cannot sign a player to a two-way contract.”
It’s worth noting that a lot of these details are still being worked out and nothing is official as of yet. Several agents and executives pointed out that they’re receiving these updates through social media, just like the rest of us, and awaiting further instruction from the league or NBPA.
Former NBA player and current CBA star Donatas Motiejunas was recently a guest on The HoopsHype Podcast. While quarantined in China, he discusses the CBA’s plan to resume their season on April 15, how he’s staying in shape, whether he’d be interested in returning to the NBA and much more. You can listen to the episode above or read the transcribed Q&A below.
When the CBA season was suspended in late January, you left China. How did you react to the news that they were suspending the season?
Donatas Motiejunas: I was shocked. But, at the same time, I was worried about everyone’s health here in China. The news was flashing around on all of the TV and all of the radio stations that the virus is very serious and pretty aggressive and they have no cure, so they tried to contain it. But, at the same time, it was Chinese New Year, so a lot of people were traveling so it was very hard to contain. But the Chinese government took action and finally we’re seeing the fruits of those actions, as China is one of the first countries to contain the virus.
It felt like we were kind of behind in the United States in terms of realizing how serious this was. When you left China in late January, you went home to Lithuania, right?
DM: Well, at that time, it was Chinese New Year so I was in Sanya, one of the islands, having a short break. They gave us, I think, seven or eight days off for Chinese New Year and then the outbreak happened. Then, I was waiting day-to-day to find out if the team was gonna let mego back home or what was going to happen. Day by day, hour by hour, the situation got more and more serious and the team said, “Yeah, go home until this situation calms down.” So, I go back to Shanghai, pack my stuff and try to go home right away. The airports and all the stations were pretty intense. It was scary, I’m not gonna lie. If people say, “Oh, I was not scared,” or anything like that… You could see people avoiding other people and not a lot of people were at the airport. Shanghai looked like a ghost town at that time. I’ve never seen a huge city like this look so dead, like it was. There were no people, no cars. It was really terrifying and scary, you know?
So, the whole trip home was intense. I’m worried and trying to make sure that I wash my hands and that I don’t touch nothing. I was kind of paranoid. When I came back home, a lot of people looked at it as a joke. Me and my coach kept telling all of the people, “Hey guys, let’s hope this thing isn’t gonna come to this country because the joke is going to be over as soon as it starts.” Sure enough, two months later, all the way from China it comes to Europe and now my government closes the borders, tried to take action. Like you said yourself, the States didn’t take it seriously and Europe also didn’t take it seriously. We started looking when it had already happened. Right now, the only thing we can do is try to contain it and try to keep it from spreading.
For those who don’t know, you’re in China right now and you’re quarantined. When did you return to China and were you worried about the health risks?
DM: On March 16, I landed in Shanghai. I mean, a lot of people told me like, “Hey, make sure you’re safe there,” and everything but from the news that my team gave me, the situation here is actually really good. And from what I saw, Shanghai is back to life. There were cars and people were walking. Of course, everyone is wearing masks to make sure if someone has something that they won’t spread it. But other than that, you can already see the fruits of fighting the coronavirus, as I said, because the people are back to work. Every day, more and more are going back to work, there’s more people on the streets and the life is coming back to the city. So I’m really happy for Shanghai and, I mean, overall for China because it seems like they are close to beating this thing.
JaMychal Green of the Clippers has his shot blocked by Donatas Motiejunas of the Sharks. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
There was a report by ESPN that some players are scared of returning to China because they’ve heard about all of the coronavirus cases and deaths. I actually talked to a CBA player this morning who is in the United States and isn’t sure if he’ll return to his team in China. Have you heard from other players who are worried about returning?
DM: I mean, of course there were a lot of players who were worried. But I think, at this point, there’s more danger in Europe and in the United States than anywhere else. Looking at the numbers, right now Europe is leading the whole globe. In the beginning, I felt like I was running away from China to Europe [to get away] from the disease; right now, I feel like I’m running from Europe back to China. Like I said, my team kept me updated almost all the time and from what I heard and what I’m seeing right now, they didn’t lie. The situation is better here than anywhere else in the world, so I’m happy that they called me back. Like I said, the day after I left, they closed the borders of Lithuania, so if they hadn’t called me, I’d be stuck in my country right now and be isolated for I don’t know how long with no practicing, no facilities, nothing. The situation here is really turning to the best and hopefully it’s going to stay like this.
Speaking of practicing, how are you staying in shape during your 14-day quarantine?
DM: I have my personal strength-and-conditioning coach that is setting up all the programs and everything; he’s putting all of the stuff together. The team provided me with some equipment like an exercise bike and some free weights, and my coach has all of the bands and all of the other stuff that he needs. So we’re working out inside of my apartment, trying to make the best of it. There’s no other way to do it. We’re just happy that we have enough space and enough equipment to work with. When the time comes, when the 14 days are over, I’m gonna join the team and I’m gonna be in decent shape. That’s the goal.
Have you been staying in touch with your teammates and coaches throughout all of this?
DM: Yeah, of course. All the time. Like I said, it was very important for me to see that the situation is stable here… I don’t know the exact date when my team gathered in the base, but they’re practicing in a base, which is separate from Shanghai, just to make sure they’re safe. They’re safe in the training facility where they are right now.
They aren’t in self-quarantine too? So, you’re in self-quarantine while they are working out and staying together?
DM: Well, the problem at this point is that a lot of cases that come to China are imported. A lot of people that were outside [of the country] are coming back with the sickness. From what I heard, inside China, there are no cases anymore. The thing that the Chinese government are afraid of right now is that an imported case is gonna make a second wave spread, so they’re very strict with the people who are coming back from different countries.
There was a rumor that the CBA told some players that if they didn’t return to China to finish the season, they could be banned from the CBA for several years. Were you told that or did you hear anything like that?
DM: Well, I know some players had two-month contracts, so the contract expired and they left their team because that was the contract they had. But I didn’t experience nothing like this. I was loyal to my team. Even though there was some interest in me, for all the teams that were interested, my agent told them, “He’s under a contract with the Shanghai Sharks.” We were waiting for a decision from the CBA. Whenever there was a decision, at that point we’re going to take action. If the season is going to be canceled, then we’re gonna be free agents and then we can choose which teams we’re going to go to. But if the season is gonna be extended, we’re gonna wait until we get news and then we’re gonna go back to China and join the Shanghai Sharks to finish the season. Through all of the summer and the period of negotiating the contract, the Sharks were super professional with me and my situation, and my response back to them has to be equal. I think I showed my support and appreciation to the team and to China during this difficult situation.
The CBA announced that they plan to resume the season on April 15 and have games without fans. What kind of details are you hearing about their plan to resume play?
DM: At this point, the plan is April 15. There are going to be two groups of 10 teams, at least that’s what the letter said that we received. One group is going to play in Dongguan and the other group will play in Qingdao. They’re gonna split the teams up equally. We’re gonna play against the other teams in our group in one city, without traveling, to make sure that the players are safe. We’ll finish the season; I heard we are going to have 16 games between those 10 teams that are going to be in our group. Then, I didn’t really hear anything else about how they’re gonna proceed from that point [for the playoffs]. But that’s the plan. I mean, as far as I’m concerned, the plan works for me and I’m happy that the CBA is looking for solutions to extend the season and finish the season the right way.
How nice will it be to get back on the court and play basketball again?
DM: Me and my coach were just talking about it for a long time about how I’m missing basketball and I’m missing five-on-five. Luckily, I had the national team window, that FIBA window, that I was playing for my national team, so that helped a little bit, but still… For me, it’s the middle of a season and we’re not playing so it’s frustrating and, at the same time, it’s upsetting. I’m super excited and happy to have a chance to come back and play for my team.
I hope the CBA can successfully resume their season with no issues, so the NBA can follow that same blueprint. A number of NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19. Did any CBA players test positive before the season was suspended in January?
DM: Not that I know of. The thing is, the city where the main spread happened doesn’t have a basketball team. And during the time of the first big wave with all of the incidents, it happened during the Chinese New Year, so no one was with their teams. Usually, they are with their families for that. So I haven’t really heard any names or that anyone got sick. I hope no one got sick. But you never know ’til you know.
That’s very lucky. I keep thinking about what would’ve happened if Rudy Gobert hadn’t tested positive or if they hadn’t caught it, it could have really spread and gotten even more out of control. It’s so fortunate that in China, you guys weren’t playing and everyone was home.
DM: Yeah, if I had to pick a time for this thing to happen, there wouldn’t be a better time during the season because nobody was playing. If we would’ve been playing, it might be the same or even worse than what happened with the NBA. But the situation was still really bad. Like I said, when I was leaving, I was under stress and you could feel the tension in the air with this disease.
For sure. You played in the NBA for quite some time, so you played with a lot of different players. What was your reaction when this spread around the NBA and you saw different guys testing positive?
DM: Oh, it’s crazy. I know a lot of people were against stopping the NBA season, but I think it was a great action by Adam Silver. The situation was really, really intense and he understood, correctly, that there was no other way. I’m happy he understood that. With this disease, it’s so easy to spread. Rudy Gobert had no symptoms, nothing, but he was the carrier so he could spread the disease through all of the players that he played against. And they said that in the next seven days, Utah was playing like three or four teams and then in the next seven days, those teams were playing. So, I mean, in a matter of like one or two weeks, the whole NBA could be infected and that’s a big issue right there. So, I think the NBA did really good to suspend it right away and try to test all of the players. The ones that are sick, they put them in isolation, and the ones that are not, they tried to separate them from the ones that are sick. That’s all you can do – try to make the people that are healthy safe and try to make the sick people get healthy.
I also think the NBA’s decision to suspend the season made people realize just how serious this is and it also caused a ton of other businesses to shut down as well. It was the first domino and then every other sports league followed suit. With no other sports to watch, you guys are going to get record viewership when the CBA season returns.
DM: Yeah, that’s what everyone has been saying. (laughs)
Let’s talk basketball for a second. Prior to the season being suspended, you were putting up monster numbers in China, averaging 22.8 points, 15.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists. Aside from all of this craziness, have you enjoyed playing in China?
DM: This is the third season for me in China. When I came here, the most important thing for me was to prove to everyone that I’m healthy after a really, really heavy injury and I think I’ve succeeded at that. And afterwards, I have a really good name around the league for the things that I was doing. I was really appreciated. A lot of teams and coaches really wanted me, so I’m really excited and happy to come back every year to China. I have a lot of fans here. I’m really enjoying playing in the CBA.
For those who don’t know, what are the biggest differences between the NBA and the CBA in terms of the play?
DM: There are a lot of differences – the speed and strategic points and athleticism are some differences. That’s just how it is. The CBA has their way of basketball. Euroleague has their way. The NBA has their way. Every continent has things that are similar and things that are different. Like I said, when I came to China, the one thing I really needed was the freedom to get back in shape, to get my confidence back, and that’s what I got. And I really enjoyed it. Every year since, I’m getting it and I know what my job is every year, coming to China and trying to prove to everyone that, over the years, I’m getting better and better and that my injury is in the past.
I know you had a brief stint with the San Antonio Spurs last April, but then you returned to the CBA. Under the right circumstances, would you want to return to the NBA at some point?
DM: Oh, of course. No question. The NBA is the strongest league in the world and I think every player’s goal should be to go over there. If it’s the right opportunity, I’ll definitely consider it and I would love to be a part of it.
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On March 14, 2016, Donatas Motiejunas led nine Rockets in double figures as Houston recorded its third-biggest win in franchise history.
In the big picture, there wasn’t a lot to celebrate about the 2015-16 season for the Houston Rockets. They entered the year with NBA championship aspirations coming off a Western Conference Finals berth, and finished 41-41 with a disappointing No. 8 finish in the West.
But March 14, 2016 was one of the rare exceptions. On that day, the Rockets routed the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, 130-81 (box score), in what was the third-largest margin of victory in franchise history.
Lithuanian big man Donatas Motiejunas scored 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting (50.0%) in just 21 minutes, and he led the team with an astounding +37 in the plus/minus during his abbreviated court time.
Based on the rout, no starter played more than 25 minutes, and all 12 active players on the Houston roster had at least 12 minutes.
The Rockets (34-33) had an incredible nine players with double figures in scoring in that game at Toyota Center, including Motiejunas, Trevor Ariza, James Harden, Patrick Beverley, Michael Beasley, Clint Capela, Andrew Goudelock, Jason Terry, and K.J. McDaniels.
The Grizzlies (39-28) were severely shorthanded that night, with veterans Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Lance Stephenson, and Vince Carter all missing the game due to injury (recap). But during that challenging season, Houston needed all the wins it could get.
The Rockets finished that season as the No. 8 seed in the playoffs at 41-41, just a game back of the Grizzlies (42-40) for the No. 7 spot.
For Motiejunas, it was his fourth and final season in Houston. Now 29 years old, he currently plays for the Shanghai Sharks in China.
[lawrence-related id=14751]
Motiejunas appeared to have left the team at the February 2016 trade deadline, when GM Daryl Morey sent him to the Detroit Pistons for a draft pick. With his contract expiring after the season, the Rockets didn’t want to risk losing Motiejunas for nothing in free agency.
The Pistons, however, voided the trade — saying Motiejunas didn’t pass their physical. That sent him back to Houston, where fortunately the sides were able to move past the attempted transaction.
Though the 2015-16 Rockets lost in five games in the first round of the playoffs, Motiejunas did indirectly play a key role in how that NBA season finished. After slipping on Motiejunas’ sweat in Houston in an April 2016 playoff game, Golden State star Steph Curry missed multiple weeks with a right knee injury. At the time, the Warriors (73-9) were a juggernaut and coming off the winningest regular season in NBA history.
While Curry did return to the playoffs, he was never as efficient or explosive following the injury, and the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers upset the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
(Editor’s note: With the 2019-20 season on hiatus due to the NBA’s coronavirus-induced shutdown, we’re looking back at key moments throughout Rockets franchise history. We’ll have more reflections coming up, since the league’s stoppage is expected to last at least 30 days.)
