Rokas Jokubaitis
No. 31 – FC Barcelona | |||||||||||||||
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Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
League | Liga ACB EuroLeague | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born | Mažeikiai, Lithuania | 19 November 2000||||||||||||||
Nationality | Lithuanian | ||||||||||||||
Listed height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 91 kg (201 lb) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 2021: 2nd round, 34th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
Selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder | |||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2017–present | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
2017–2021 | Žalgiris Kaunas | ||||||||||||||
2017–2019 | → Žalgiris-2 Kaunas | ||||||||||||||
2021–present | FC Barcelona | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Rokas Jokubaitis (born 19 November 2000) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.
Early life and youth career[edit]
Jokubaitis was born in Mažeikiai, Lithuania. He grew up playing youth basketball at the Vladas Knašius Basketball School in Klaipėda before moving to the youth academy of Žalgiris.[1] Jokubaitis was named to the all-tournament team at the 2018 Kaunas Tournament after averaging 15 points and 8.3 assists per game and leading Žalgiris to a third-place finish.[2]
Professional career[edit]
Žalgiris (2017–2021)[edit]
On 9 January 2018, Jokubaitis scored a game-high 31 points for Žalgiris-2 in a highly publicized exhibition game against LaMelo Ball and Prienai.[3] On 5 May, he made his senior debut for Žalgiris in its Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) regular season finale against Pieno žvaigždės.[4] In the 2018–19 season, Jokubaitis was named the Best Young Player in the second-tier National Basketball League after averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game for Žalgiris-2.[5]
On 14 June 2019, Jokubaitis signed a three-year contract extension with Žalgiris.[5] In the 2020–21 season, he averaged seven points and 2.5 assists per game in the EuroLeague. Jokubaitis was the runner-up to Usman Garuba for the EuroLeague Rising Star award.[6] He averaged eight points and four assists per game in the LKL and was named Best Young Player of the league.[7]
Barcelona (2021–present)[edit]
On 21 July 2021, Jokubaitis signed a four-year contract with FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.[8]
NBA draft rights[edit]
Jokubaitis was selected with the 34th overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2021 NBA draft.[9] Later on the draft-day, his rights were traded to the New York Knicks.[10] On 3 August 2021, it was announced that Jokubaitis would return to FC Barcelona after the conclusion of the 2021 NBA Summer League.[11]
National team career[edit]
Jokubaitis played for Lithuania at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Poland. He averaged 10 points and helped his team win a silver medal.[12] Jokubaitis was the youngest player at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Egypt, averaging 10 points and 5.3 assists per game for the sixth-place team.[3] At the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship in Latvia, he averaged 12.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as his team finished fifth.[13] Jokubaitis led Lithuania to fourth place at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Greece, where he averaged 11.3 points and 5.6 assists per game.[14]
On 24 February 2020, Jokubaitis made his senior national team debut for Lithuania during EuroBasket qualification.[15] In June and July 2021, he played at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kaunas.[16]
Personal life[edit]
Jokubaitis' father, Aivaras , played professional basketball in Lithuania and Poland. His mother and sister also played the sport.[17]
On 12 December 2020, a man was arrested in Vilnius after scamming €10,000 from a woman he had dated for months by impersonating Jokubaitis.[18]
Career statistics[edit]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
Bold | Career high |
EuroLeague[edit]
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018–19 | Žalgiris | 12 | 0 | 5.8 | .500 | .200 | .800 | .5 | .6 | .0 | .1 | 2.6 | 1.9 |
2019–20 | 10 | 0 | 6.4 | .444 | .500 | .750 | .5 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | 2.2 | 2.0 | |
2020–21 | 31 | 5 | 20.9 | .454 | .388 | .756 | 1.7 | 2.5 | .5 | .0 | 7.0 | 6.8 | |
2021–22 | Barcelona | 37 | 2 | 16.7 | .563 | .568 | .714 | 1.6 | 2.6 | .4 | .0 | 7.1 | 7.5 |
2022–23 | 39 | 0 | 14.8 | .416 | .413 | .776 | 2.0 | 2.6 | .3 | .1 | 5.3 | 6.6 | |
2023–24 | 36 | 2 | 15.5 | .443 | .277 | .652 | 1.7 | 2.8 | .3 | .1 | 5.3 | 5.5 | |
Career | 165 | 9 | 15.4 | .470 | .406 | .742 | 1.6 | 2.4 | .3 | .0 | 5.6 | 6.0 |
References[edit]
- ^ Bendikas, Martynas (20 October 2020). "Rokas Jokubaitis – autoritetų nepaisantis "gerietis", prie iššūkių pratintas nuo vaikystės". Delfi (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ Hein, David (21 January 2018). "MVP Sirvydis of Rytas headlines All-Tournament team". Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b "The real big baller: Can Rokas Jokubaitis become Lithuania's next big thing?". FIBA. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Jokubaičio debiute "Žalgiris" užsitikrino pirmąją vietą LKL reguliariajame sezone". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 5 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Zalgiris retains top Lithuanian prospect, Rokas Jokubaitis, on a multi-year deal". Žalgiris. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Rokas Jokubaitis among the best in EuroLeague Rising Star voting". Žalgiris. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Geriausias LKL jaunasis žaidėjas Jokubaitis: "Labai daug padėjo treneris Schilleris"". Basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 29 May 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Rokas Jokubaitis, a young jewel for Barça". FC Barcelona. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "2021 NBA Draft results: Picks 1-60". nba.com. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ "Knicks Acquire Draft Rights to Jokubaitis and McBride". nba.com. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ "Rokas Jokubaitis to play Summer League with the Knicks". fcbarcelona.com. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "Rokas Jokubaitis (LTU)'s profile – FIBA U16 European Championship Division A 2016". FIBA. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ "Jokubaitis looks to erase Lithuania disappointments, awaits facing USA at U19 World Cup". FIBA. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Rokas Jokubaitis (LTU)'s profile – FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019". FIBA. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ Askounis, John (10 February 2020). "Rokas Jokubaitis earns Lithuania call-up". Eurohoops. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Jokubaitis: These are do-or-die games for Lithuania". FIBA. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Tėvas ir sūnus: Jokubaičių istorija". Basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 9 January 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Man pretending to be Rokas Jokubaitis scammed woman for money". Eurohoops. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
External links[edit]
- Rokas Jokubaitis at Euroleague.net