Lithuania
| HT/WT/WS | 6' 5", 195lbs |
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This player was taught how to play the game the right way. Maybe the purest point guard in the draft, who first looks to involve his team. His passing is super strong, and he understands the game. His defense is pretty poor right now, and his scoring isn’t elite, but he has the role that I expect him to fill nicely
Comparison: JJ Barea
Ceiling: Goran Dragic
Floor: Utah Raul Neto
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Rokas is a hard-nosed point guard who isn''t much of a rebounder and not a true point guard but possesses a great skill, the ability to spit up from three point range. He''s been able to make 1-3 threes per game in a league with grown men, so I trust his ability to make the jump shot in the NBA. He''ll do anything to win, so he''ll bring defensive intensity as well, which makes you think coaches will favor him and give minutes out.
Projected draft range: 40-55
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6''4 with a ? wingspan. Lefty. Per 40 for Zalgiris this year - 15 ppg, 6.6 ast, 3.2 rbd, 1.2 stl. Shooting splits 50/31/76 although his 3pt shooting is down significantly from last years 46%. His shooting stroke is somewhat slow as there is a moment where his body freezes as he loads up his shot, his left foot sits much further in front of his right, he doesn't get great rise in his shot, but his arms finish high. All this said Rokas mechanics haven''t been problematic to this point. Crafty attacker with Nice touch when pulling up inside 15, prefers going left. Won''t beat defenders with foot speed. Excellent drive and kick passer, probably near the top of this class in terms of passing. Uses both hands to make passes, excellent at finding small windows to get his teammates buckets. High energy defender, but his footwork needs major work. Runs around like a rabid dog defensively, but is too wild for his own good. He takes improper routes and gets way too far out of position sometimes whic
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Positives
-An amazing passer and creator for others in all kinds of ways, has a really great feel in the PnR and hits the roll in great ways, shows great stuff in the drive and kick too, one of the more underrated playmakers in this draft
-Scores well in the PnR, snakes it and is really good as a finisher when he gets to his left hand, craftiness makes up for the lack of burst/athleticism, has a competent mid range jumper off the dribble and uses a little pull-up close to the basket
-Solid 3 point shooter off the catch when his feet are set
-Smart team defender within schemes
Negatives
-Not a great athlete for the NBA, doesn't have the burst to make separation against better defenders, including bigs, needs a screen
-Probably will struggle on-ball as a defender for the same reason, though not a complete liability
-Bad shooter off the dribble from 3, work in progress
Likely range: 30-50
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Has proven himself overseas. The lefty has a crafty way of getting his shot off and has not just the 3 point shot, but a good mid range game as well. He handles the ball effortlessly with either hand. Jokubaitis can play well off the pick and roll, which teams always love. He sees the game well and has a good eye for the extra pass or the right play. He is one of the older prospects.
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TEAM Žalgiris (Lithuania) YEAR International POSITION PG HEIGHT 6''4" WEIGHT 194 lbs AGE 20.49 yrs DRAFT AGE 20.58 yrs BIRTHDATE Nov 19, 2000 NATION Lithuania HOMETOWN Mažeikiai, Lithuania 2020-21 PER GAME AVERAGES G 68 MP 20.5 FG% .463 3P% .344 FT% .713 REB 1.7 AST 3.3 BLK 0.0 STL 0.7 TO 1.4 PTS 7.6
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PLUSES Pick-and-roll playmaking is an untapped area of his development. He has a feel for shifting gears and using fakes to create space, and he throws accurate passes on the move. With his height, he can take advantage of angles that smaller players can’t.
Projects long term as a good 3-point shooter due to his touch pulling up from midrange, his use of floaters, and his performance at the free throw line.
Aggressive finisher at the rim who can use either hand.
Active and aware defender who competes on and off the ball. He makes plays in the passing lanes and if he improves his lateral quickness, he has the traits to be a good on-ball defender.
MINUSES Must extend his range off the dribble from midrange to 3. He’ll often dribble into deep pull-ups instead of stepping back or to the side for 3s.
He’s a better playmaker than his stats indicate due to his off-ball role overseas, but his lack of great athleticism and burst does put a cap on his shot-creation upside.