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Dallas Mavericks: Did Johnathan Motley Earn a Full Contract?

By Kohl Rast

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 3: Johnathan Motley #6 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on prior to the game against the Sacramento Kings on February 3, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 3: Johnathan Motley #6 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on prior to the game against the Sacramento Kings on February 3, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Mavericks held a two-way contract for Johnathan Motley the entire season, but really never used him until the end of the season. With just 11 games of experience, did Motley do enough to earn a full contract with the Mavs?

Dallas Mavericks fans sat back and watched crazy numbers flash across the screen every time Johnathan Motley suited up for the Texas Legends. In 34 games with the Legends, Motley averaged over 22 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds per. He also averaged a steal and a block per game, making him a very well-rounded player.

Despite his huge numbers in the G-League, there were obvious questions about Motley’s game and whether it would be able to translate to the NBA. The Mavs organization seemed to be on the same side of things as, despite injuries and inconsistent play from the bigs in Dallas, the team continually passed on bringing Motley up.

This appears to be a mistake. Unless, of course, the Dallas Mavericks knew he could be a game changer and didn’t want to risk any extra wins earlier in the season.

Anyways, the Dallas Mavericks brought Motley up and he played in 8 of the last 15 games of the season for Dallas. He averaged almost 11 points per game during that stretch and even had a 26-point and 21-point effort. He also showed that he could rebound semi-effectively with 5.5 boards per game.

The Mavericks would be crazy to let a guy like Motley go without giving him a real chance. He may not be the most nimble player and his injury history is a definite concern, but his style of game appears to be serviceable in the league.

I’m not saying that the Mavs should offer him big money to stick around, but if he could be retained on a minimum contract, that is what Dallas should do. He needs to become the Dallas Mavericks backup center of the future or else the team has done something terribly wrong.

Just look at some of these highlights.

Motley will probably never be a superstar. In fact he will probably never even be an NBA caliber starter. But that does not mean he can’t contribute.