NBA Houston Rockets

Donatas Motiejunas Stepping Up Big With Dwight Howard Injured For Rockets

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By @TheSizzle20

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Sitting at 13-4 to start the 2014-15 NBA season, the Houston Rockets have come out of the gate swinging and showing that any doubts about their team were unwarranted. This team has been one of the most exciting to watch in the league thanks to their style of play and success, but also the performance of the likes of James Harden and Dwight Howard.

While Harden’s play is expectedly great as he’s proving to be one of the greatest offensive weapons in the league, Howard has looked like a new man in his second season in Houston. He came into the season looking healthy for the first time in a while and the results have reflected that on both ends of the floor.

However, Howard is no longer completely healthy as a left knee ailment has sidelined him for the past six games. With Dwight out and several other injuries plaguing this team, a drop-off is to be somewhat expected. However, a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night was their fourth in the six games they’ve been without Howard and it’s hard not to look at Donatas Motiejunas as a huge factor in that.

While he only saw the floor for 18 minutes in the Rockets’ first game without Howard, he’s played 26 or more minutes in each of the last five games and has played 31 or more minutes in four of the five contests. He’s taken advantage of the opportunity as well, putting up 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals per game while hitting 58.9 percent of his shot attempts and 33.3 percent from three.

Over his two previous seasons in the league and with Houston, we’ve seen Motiejunas show flashes of being a valuable asset in this league. As a legitimate seven-footer with range on his shot to go with a diverse game in the post, he should very well be that. However, inconsistency and an apparent lack of aggression have saddled him to being nothing more than a role player to this point.

When he’s being asked to step up right now with Howard sidelined, though, Motiejunas is doing just that. He’s looking for his shot and looking to keep the Rockets’ high-powered offense in-rhythm. Certainly he’s not the same type of player as Howard, but he’s a player that should fit into the high-volume long-range shooting style that Houston plays exceptionally well.

The Rockets don’t play again until Wednesday and Howard could be available to go then. That obviously will decrease Motiejunas’ workload to a certain degree, but if he could maintain this level of performance in a decreased role, it could make a dangerous Rockets team even more dangerous moving forward.

Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.

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