Maybe Lithuanian combo guard Rokas Jokubaitis won’t turn into a European “stash” pick after all.
Jokubaitis, selected 34th overall in last Thursday’s NBA draft, said after the Knicks’ second Las Vegas summer league practice that it’s still an “option” for him to come aboard this season, though he’d have to be bought out from his Spanish League team.
That club, Barcelona, is allowing the lefty Lithuanian to play three summer league games for the Knicks.
“Yeah, there is an option,” Jokubaitis said on a Zoom call Friday. “But it will be very, very intriguing thing. I’m into Europe. But if something will go very well, plans could be changed, would change. I don’t know what to expect, but I’m looking forward to summer league and we’ll see how it will go. Right now the plan is to go to Europe, but you never know in basketball, because basketball is a sport where anything can happen.”
It has been reported Jokubaitis is a sure thing to play in Barcelona. The Knicks added to their point-guard corps by landing free agent Kemba Walker, but his knee is always a concern.
Luca Vildoza, signed by the Knicks last May from the Spanish League, is also a southpaw combo guard and will arrive in Las Vegas in a few days from the Olympics, where he didn’t excel for Argentina. Vildoza has a non-guaranteed four-year deal. If Jokubaitis signs after the summer league, it’s doubtful Vildoza will stick.
“[Barcelona] said I can play three games but we’ll see how it will go,” Jokubaitis said. “It depends upon my performance, first of all. And I cannot tell you how it will be but I’m looking forward to playing as good as I can and after this whole summer league we’ll see how it will happen.”
After two summer league practices, Jokubaitis already perceives the difference between the NBA and Europe. He played in Lithuania the past two seasons and is set to join the tougher Spanish League for the first time.
“The biggest adjustment will be the aggressiveness, the contact level, like the speed of basketball is higher than Europe,’’ Jokubaitis said. “In this few practices, I saw that [is] where I can be better because the tempo, I’m not used to that. Playing in this system, I’ll need some time. I think I’d improve and will improve. We’ll see in summer league what I need more to be in the top league in the world. I’m not used to that speed and aggressiveness.”
As a lefty ball-handler from Eastern Europe, the 20-year-old embraces comparisons to Miami’s Goran Dragic, a native of Slovenia.
“What can I bring?, Jokubaitis said. “From a few practices that I had with the Knicks in Vegas, I can bring this calmness, controlling the tempo at the point guard position, bring some cold-mind, to tell my teams where to go, what do we have to be better, to be a second coach on the court.’’
Last season, Jokubaitis got his first taste of EuroLeague play as a member of Zalgiris. Before that, Jokubaitis placed his name as an early entry candidate because the 2020 draft was delayed to last November. But then he withdrew.
The Knicks actually took Jokubaitis ahead of West Virginia point guard Miles McBride (36th), feeling he could have more value as a stash guy. He’s also repped by Creative Artists Agency — which Knicks president Leon Rose formerly managed.
“This season was different for me because I really felt what EuroLeague is, to be an important player on a EuroLeague team,’’ Jokubaitis said. “I had a chance to go in the draft in November. With my agent we discussed and I withdrew that. I saw that I needed maybe to the end of the season to show everything I got. So I thought I cannot withdraw a second time because it would be not so good for me. I believed in me. And I think we made a great decision with my agent. And we got what we got.’’