Meet The Other Aussie Jazzman: Brock Motum

Feb 23, 2013; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward

(44) and guard Nick Johnson (13) and Washington State Cougars forward Brock Motum (12) battle for positioning during a free throw attempt during the first half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Simon Legg of NBA Australia joins us for an exclusive to talk Brock Motum, the other Aussie Jazzman, who just made the final cut for the Utah Jazz.

Simon is an Editor at NBA.com/Australia, the official home of the NBA in Australia. You can follow him on twitter at @Simon_Legg and at NBA Australia at @NBA_AU.

PurpleAndBlues: US NBA fans’ knowledge of Brock Motum seems to be extremely limited. Indeed, there’s not much to be found about him before his PAC-12 Washington State University dominant days. Can you fill in some of the early Aussie days gaps for us?

Simon Legg: Motum, like a lot of our NBA players down here, was part of the Australian Institute of Sport, or AIS, before getting the opportunity at Washington State University. While at the AIS he stated that his two goals were to represent Australia at the Olympics and to play in the NBA.

He’s halfway there.

Motum actually followed the same path as fellow NBA player Aron Baynes, who recently re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs, and spent time at the AIS before moving on to Washington State. Brock has stated in the past that Aron’s development on and off the court in Washington prompted him to look into their program and eventually move on to there.

 PnB: When did you know Motum would be NBA material?

 SL: To be honest, I think he took a lot of us by surprise down here.

He spent last season with Granarolo Bologna of the Italian SerieA League and really impressed, but I don’t think we anticipated that his rise would be so rapid.

I knew where he was and what he was doing, but it probably wasn’t until the Jazz announced their intentions to sign him, and then I followed him in both the Summer League and also the 2014 FIBA World Cup, and was clearly impressed with what I saw.

 PnB: Brock has certainly impressed at every given opportunity afforded him by his Utah Jazz contract, from Las Vegas Summer League to the FIBA World Cup to the limited opportunities he’s gotten in NBA preseason. 

 SL: He definitely has.

When you’re in his situation, every opportunity to play is like a job interview. You have to come in and impact the game and prove your worth at every chance.

Last week’s 119-86 rout of the Lakers was a perfect example of this. He only played ten minutes in junk time, but he scored seven points and showed he could spread the floor and played with intensity.

Jack Cooley was on the floor at the same time and it felt like both guys were going up against each other for a roster spot.

Coincidentally, they were his first minutes of the preseason, so all of his nerves, excitement and drive kind of all came out in ten minutes of basketball.

 PnB: Dahntay Jones, who many thought might sneak onto the team, and Jack Cooley were cut before the last preseason game of the Jazz’s season, leaving the current Utah Jazz roster at 15, the NBA max. See him stickin’ , on the Jazz and in the NBA? 

 SL: I think there’s a real chance for him in Utah. He feels like a guy who fits in with what Quin Snyder wants to do. At the power forward

position he can spread the floor with his 3-point shot, while on the defensive end he gives hustle and effort.

I spoke to Quin Snyder recently and he was a big wrap for his game.

"“Brock has impressed us with his grit and determination, and his ability to pick up our system and make the right play. He is a hard worker and a big body who is not afraid to be physical, but can also step out and knock down shots.”"

He’s clearly behind a few guys in the pecking order at the power forward spot: Derrick Favors, Trevor Booker and Jeremy Evans will all be selected ahead of him but when he gets his chance, he has a specific role to play.

Beyond that, let’s see how he performs.

It’s always hard to know how long a guy can stick around in the league when he doesn’t have a large sample size of minutes. I think the Jazz are also quite keen to get another Aussie in there with Dante Exum to make the move to the US and NBA lifestyle a smooth one for the 19-year-old.

 PnB: Are you familiar with the Idaho Stampede, the Utah Jazz’s D-League affiliate? Might Motum get some NBA-esque minutes there this year? 

 SL: I am familiar with the Idaho Stampede and believe he will definitely get some big minutes there. I think it would be a perfect scenario for him to spend some time there and get a chance to impress with more court time.

 PnB: How would you compare the overall talent level of the D-League to where Brock’s been playing? He certainly appears to be at a higher level, closer to NBA-ready, to me.

 SL: I think he’s closer to being NBA-ready also.

It’s tough to compare playing in Italy to playing in the D-League because the styles are vastly different, but from seeing his performances for Australia at the FIBA World Cup and also for the Jazz I feel like he’s on the cusp of cracking a rotation spot in the NBA.

Having said that, there’ll be constant battles during the season where he has to go to Idaho and prove himself.

 PnB: Australian and New Zealand basketball is up-and-coming! Really exciting to see. How many Kiwis and players from Down Under in the NBA now?

 SL: It’s a really exciting time for hoops down here. We’ve got eight guys from Australia: Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Aron Baynes, Cam Bairstow, Joe Ingles and Brock Motum, and from NZ there’s Steven Adams who looks really promising.

 PnB: Got an inside track on anyone to keep a peeper on, coming up? 

 SL: The future is bright! Ben Simmons from Melbourne has spent some time in Florida at the Montverde Academy and has led them to two national titles. Draft Express has Simmons as the second best prospect in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Then, there’s Thon Maker who is only 17 but has some serious wraps on him. He’s 214 cm and he moves like a guard.

Go and YouTube him. You’ll be impressed.