Johnathan Motley: OKC Thunder NBA Draft prospect series

Mar 24, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Baylor Bears forward Johnathan Motley (5) grabs a loose ball during the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the semifinals of the East Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

Baylor big man Johnathan Motley is next up in Thunderous Intentions NBA Draft Prospect Preview.

Johnathan Motley can play either front court position and does have a more NBA ready body than many of his counterparts. That said, like most the bigs in this year’s draft he’s just doesn’t address the areas Sam Presti and the OKC Thunder need to improve.

Specifics:

Height: 6’9″

Weight: 230 lbs

Wingspan: 7′ 4″

Position: Power Forward/Center

Age: 22 years, 1 month

Statline: 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.1 blocks

College: Baylor (junior)

Home Town:Houston, Texas

Current rankings:

Please note, these rankings are taken as current as this writing, and are subject to change.

DraftExpress: 38th

NBA DraftNet: 34th

Scott Howard-Cooper nba.com: ranks Motley 9th on this power forward list

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor: 42nd

CBS Sports: 24th

Basketball Insiders: 34th

Skills:

At first glance Johnathan Motley seemingly offers several tangible assets. The ability to play power forward or center and close to a double-double production level at Baylor. He’s coming off a torn meniscus which may be affecting his overall rank. That said, while Motley produced offensively he struggled against height and size. Since that’s the case how much more difficult will things get for him at the pro level?

As per Ryan Tomson of Draft Express:

"Although somewhat caught between the four and the five and a shade undersized at 6’9, Motley has a tremendous 7’4 wingspan to go with a 9’0 standing reach (which may be even higher as 9’0 is the lowest of the four measurements we have in our database). Motley certainly has the length and frame to play the ever popular small-ball center position in today’s NBA, even his explosiveness and height aren’t quite elite for the position. The Houston native does, however. have the defensive agility and budding skill set to play the four in more traditional lineups. His agility and tools are most apparent on the offensive glass, as he averaged an impressive 4.8 offensive boards per 40 minutes during his junior season."

Weaknesses:

Again, coming off the meniscus tear and his struggles against players with length or size are cause for pause.

While his production appears strong at first glance, the fact Motley hasn’t demonstrated a high basketball I..Q or consistency is concerning. What gives me hope are comparisons to players like Siakam and Zeller (as per O’Connor below). Both of these players showed a commitment to off court improvements and their dedication reaped rewards. That said, the unknown is how he’ll perform facing NBA defenses since Baylor tends to utilize the zone so much.

Poor decision making has often resulted in issues for Motley as he forces offense or draws silly fouls.

Honors and awards:

Big XII All-Conference 1st Team, 2017

Big XII All-Conference 3rd Team , 2016

Pro Comparison:

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer provided a ceiling comparison for each of his prospects. O’Connor’s list pegs Collins ceiling as Pascal Siakam or Cody Zeller.

O’Connor’s comparison made me take a closer look at Motley given how high I was on Siakam last season. Furthermore, the remarkable difference Zeller had on Charlotte’s wins gave me a whole new appreciation for his talents last year.

In spite of these comparisons however, his injury and is issues in one on one defense give pause.

The fit:

As per most bigs TI reviewed, Motley isn’t a player who Sam Presti will want to take a leap of faith on. Moreover, the fact he’s coming off injury and has a number of unknowns makes him even less desirable.

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