Ex-Hapoel Player Jonathan Motley Has Historically Bad EuroLeague Debut
Jonathan Motley, formerly of Hapoel Jerusalem, had a disastrous official debut for his new team, Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade), in their EuroLeague opening game against Zalgiris Kaunas on Thursday. Despite playing 14:08 minutes, Motley scored only 2 points on 1-of-7 shooting, grabbed no rebounds, dished out 2 assists, committed 6 turnovers, and was called for 5 fouls, including 4 offensive fouls. His performance resulted in a PIR (Player Index Rating) of -13, the second-worst in EuroLeague history, just shy of the record -14 held by Luka Zorić. This marked the worst debut game ever recorded in the league.
With about a minute and a half left in the game, Motley committed his fifth foul, an offensive charge, during a critical possession for his team. This foul effectively ended Crvena Zvezda's chances of mounting a comeback in the 83-77 loss. Motley's struggles were particularly evident against Zalgiris's Jonas Valanciunas.
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