Jonathan Motley had been on Crvena Zvezda’s radar for a long time.
Now, the stars have finally aligned – fittingly, “Zvezda” means “star” in Serbian – and the fans will get to see him in red and white.
Motley had an up-and-down season with Hapoel Tel Aviv last year, and he’s hoping that his move to Zvezda can help him rediscover the level that made him one of the EuroLeague’s top centers during his time with Fenerbahçe.
The difference between Ibon Navarro’s system and Dimitris Itoudis’ is “night and day,” as Motley puts it – and that was one of the main topics of our conversation with the 31-year-old center.
We also discussed Zvezda’s potential, how he stays mentally fresh over the course of a long EuroLeague season, what he does on road trips – and why he’s excited to play in front of a packed arena again.
“Back to the Top”
Are you looking to reclaim your status as one of the best centers in the EuroLeague?
Yeah, definitely. That’s why I wanted to come. I wanted to put my footprint back in the game as much as I can and make my way back to the top.
You’ve been together as a group for about three or four weeks now. What do you think this team is going to look like when it reaches its full potential?
I think it’s going to be good. I think there’s going to be a lot of firepower, a lot of intensity and a very, very fast-paced game.
It’s a lot for us to take in right now because everybody’s still coming in and learning. We had the national team guys come back a little late, so they’re still learning the plays. We’re still getting adjusted to the system, but we’ve shown flashes of being good.
It just takes time to play that fast without making mistakes. We’re still getting adjusted to it, but I think it’ll look good.
What would you say are the biggest challenges in adjusting right now?
Just making decisions while moving that fast, because I think turnovers are a problem right now. If we eliminate those, that’s just that many more shots we can take.
Our percentages have been good, so if we can get more shots up, I think we’ll score more points.
What Makes a Final Four Team?
How comfortable are you with Coach Navarro’s very specific system?
I’m still getting adjusted to it. It’s like night and day compared to how we played last year and the year before.
Itoudis is more methodical. He doesn’t want you taking quick shots. It’s more like, “OK, let’s see what we’ve got, find the mismatch, wait.” Pretty much every time down the court, you knew who was going to shoot the ball before it happened. So now it’s completely different for me. I’m still getting adjusted to it.
Do you feel like you’ll adjust quickly?
Yeah, for sure, because I think that goes back to playing more free basketball. I think it’s more fun to be able to just run the floor and play, and not have to think all the time about whether it’s a good shot or a bad shot.
So I think it’ll be fun.
Obviously, you have a lot of EuroLeague experience. What separates a good team from a Final Four contender?
For me, I would say being able to adjust on the fly. Being able to take what your opponent throws at you and then being able to counter that at every level.
Every team is different, to be honest. Every coach is different. Every night is different. Some days you’re going to shoot the ball well, some days you’re not. And you’ve got to find a way to win no matter what.
So I think the teams that can adjust on the fly usually have the most success.
Surviving the EuroLeague Grind
Over the course of a long season – and we know the EuroLeague season is very, very long – how do you personally stay mentally fresh and focused? Every game here feels like life or death, and now there are so many of them.
I think every game being life or death actually helps you do that. Every game is literally a new challenge, and there’s so much riding on it that you focus more and lock in more because you know how important it is.
A game in February, or a game you lose early in the season, can haunt you very late. Then you’ll be thinking, “Oh my God, we could’ve beaten this team.”
Maybe you made some mistakes, missed a free throw at the end or didn’t get a box-out, and that can haunt you in the playoff race because it’s so close. So I think those games meaning so much actually helps you lock in over the course of a long season, because every game is almost like a new challenge.
“I’m a Big Anime Guy”
What do you do when you’re traveling? Do you like to read, watch movies?
On the plane? I’m a big anime guy. I usually watch my anime, have my iPad out, or I take a nap.
I wish I could take a nap during the day. I don’t usually do that.
How ambitious should Zvezda be this season? Playoffs, Final Four? I know it’s still early, but…
In my experience, to be honest, you can’t even think about that. I would just say my goal is to make the playoffs because I haven’t missed the playoffs, but you have to go one game at a time. You can’t even think about the end because November and March can look totally different. So for me, I don’t really worry about the end because you don’t know what can happen.
You’ve just got to go game by game. I think that’s the best way for a team to be successful.
From Fenerbahçe to Zvezda: Feeding Off the Crowd
Obviously, you played for Fenerbahçe, which has a huge fan base and a really fiery atmosphere. It’s similar here. What kind of feelings does that bring out in you? Some players perform even better in that kind of atmosphere, while others tend to get nervous or feel the pressure and expectations.
I play really well in front of those kinds of fans, so I’m going to love it. I think it’s going to help me for sure. It’s going to give me a lot of energy.
Last year, we were playing in empty gyms all the time. It was a little weird because the EuroLeague is all about the atmosphere, so sometimes you didn’t really feel it. Now I’m excited to get back to that. I started my EuroLeague career at Fenerbahçe, and those fans pumped me up. I was having an amazing season, so I think it’s going to pump me up here, too.
I love the fans.
Give me the top three pieces of advice your teammates have given you – basketball-wise, but maybe even more about Belgrade and how to adjust to life here as quickly as possible.
Nobody really told me anything.
Once you get to this point in your career, you pretty much know what to do. I think this is year 10 or 11 for me, so it’s been a long time.
