2nd seed vs. 7th seed. The only quarterfinal series that could be labeled as a classic David vs. Goliath story. The odds are stacked against Zalgiris Kaunas, who are facing an uphill battle versus a more capable and experienced Spanish giant -- FC Barcelona. Still, on any given day, anything can happen.
FC Barcelona got closer to clinching a EuroLeague playoff spot on Friday night after taking down Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 85-79 at Palau Blaugrana. The Catalans improved to a 19-10 record in the standings following their fifth consecutive win at home.
The 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is already in its fifth month of action and many young talents have shown what they are capable of. In order to be eligible for this season's Rising Star award, a player must have been 21 years of age or younger on July 1, 2000.
2nd seed vs. 7th seed. The only quarterfinal series that could be labeled as a classic David vs. Goliath story. The odds are stacked against Zalgiris Kaunas, who are facing an uphill battle versus a more capable and experienced Spanish giant -- FC Barcelona. Still, on any given day, anything can happen.
FC Barcelona got closer to clinching a EuroLeague playoff spot on Friday night after taking down Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 85-79 at Palau Blaugrana. The Catalans improved to a 19-10 record in the standings following their fifth consecutive win at home.
The 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is already in its fifth month of action and many young talents have shown what they are capable of. In order to be eligible for this season's Rising Star award, a player must have been 21 years of age or younger on July 1, 2000.
Rokas Jokubaitis is in his second season with FC Barcelona. Having won the EuroLeague Rising Star Award last year, this season has been a bit more difficult for the young point guard.
FC Barcelona youngster Rokas Jokubaitis was drafted by the New York Knicks with the 34th pick in the 2021 NBA draft. The Lithuanian guard has been improving his craft in Europe ever since but the hope to debut in the NBA doesn't fade. Spanish sports outlet Mundo Deportivo interviewed Knicks' head coach Tim Thibodeau who revealed that the club was impressed with Jokubaitis.
A few days ago, FC Barcelona head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius rejoiced the EuroLeague announcement of Kaunas as the host city for the Final Four in 2023. Rokas Jokubaitis did the same this Thursday, admitting he dreams of playing it.
FC Barcelona have a clear goal for this new EuroLeague season. Win it. That's all. The Blaugranas returned to the Final Four in 2021 seven years after their last appearance. They could not achieve the glory at Cologne, falling short in the final.
FC Barcelona will start their season in the Spanish Liga Endesa today with a match against Gran Canaria, hoping to offset the loss to Real Madrid in the SuperCup earlier this month. Looking forward to the matchup, Barca's young guard Rokas Jokubaitis was excited to begin his second year on the sunny South coast of Spain.
Talks about EuroLeague's 3rd place game being completely unnecessary have been going on for years, but the noise coming from Olympiacos Piraeus fans made sure that this season such discussions would be shut for good.
New York Knicks draftee and FC Barcelona's point guard Rokas Jokubaitis received recognition on the European basketball stage.
The 21-year-old won the EuroLeague Rising Star award, becoming the first Lithuanian ever to achieve such a feat.
"It's a really tiresome experience," Jokubaitis shared the experience of being in the award ceremony. "Despite that, I really enjoyed it. There were many legends, and such great players were sitting next to me. I was really impressed. Only positive vibes."
This season, including the regular season and playoffs, Jokubaitis averaged 7.2 points, 2.8 assists, and 7.6 PIR. In the Rising Star award competition, Jokubaitis beat a projected no. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama and Zalgiris Kaunas youngster Marek Blazevic.
Out of thirteen Rising Star award winners, eleven of them made it to the NBA. Jokubaitis admitted that such an achievement could help him to fulfill his NBA dream.
"It's true that all those individual awards bring the attention over there," Jokubaitis told BasketNews. "I think [Knicks] people seeing me winning the Rising Star award gives them more excitement than just simple highlights from the games. This award won't make things worse, that's for sure."
Jokubaitis was selected with the 34th pick in the last year's draft, but he almost confirmed the recent rumors about him staying in Europe for one more year.
"It's very likely that I'll stay in Barcelona for one more year, so I will try to impress them [Knicks] even more," he added.
In his first season with Barcelona, Rokas Jokubaitis has already proved his value. The 21-year-old Lithuanian guard was named Rising Star of the season in EuroLeague and gained an important role inside coach Jasikevicius' rotations.
But the future of Jokubaitis isn't linked only to Barcelona and Spain but also to New York and the NBA.
In the 2021 NBA Draft, Rokas Jokubaitis was selected with the 34th pick overall by the Knicks and there's the general expectation that the Lithuanian guard will end up playing in the NBA sooner rather than later.
Despite the good performances of this season, Jokubaitis is not expected to join the Knicks next season.
According to the New York Post, the Knicks are leaning towards letting Jokubaitis stay in Europe for at least another season so that he can have more minutes and a stable role.
According to the NY Post, the Knicks are also skeptical that Barcelona will allow Jokubaitis to play in the Summer League during the offseason.
The Lithuanian guard averaged 7.2 points and 2.8 assists per game in EuroLeague.
After becoming an instrumental part of FC Barcelona's run to the upcoming Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, a recent arrival to the club, guard Rokas Jokubaitis, has been chosen as the Rising Star Trophy winner for the 2021-22 season. Voted on by EuroLeague head coaches, the Rising Star Trophy recognizes the best player each season who was younger than 22 on July 1 of the previous summer. ...
The Spanish Liga Endesa officially announced the best young starting five of the season and with very few surprises Barcelona's Lithuanian sensation Rokas Jokubaitis was one of the players selected. The Lithuanian point guard averaged 7.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 rebounds per game in his first season in the Spanish league. The other four players selected for the best young starting five were ...
It doesn't take much guesswork to discover who has been the most influential figure in the career development of point guard Rokas Jokubaitis – his former coach at Zalgiris Kaunas and current coach of FC Barcelona, Sarunas Jasikevicius. Like all youngsters in basketball-crazy Lithuania, Jokubaitis grew up idolizing the national team during a period of great success that delivered medals in ...
Rokas Jokubaitis is set to return in tomorrow's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, according to the official club's report. Jokubaitis has trained with his teammates today and could return to the court tomorrow if he feels good. Brandon Davies, Pierre Oriola, and Cory Higgins remain out. On March 24, Jokubaitis was diagnosed with a right shoulder sprain. The ...
FC Barcelona officially reported that Rokas Jokubaitis sprained his right shoulder. He will not be available against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in tomorrow's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game, according to the club's statement. His return on the court will depend on further assessments. The 21-year-old sustained the injury in the last EuroLeague battle against ALBA Berlin. With 8 minutes remaining in ...
Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is approaching the playoffs stage, which means not only the culmination of the season but also the GMs' preparation for the upcoming summer. In consultation with agents of excellent basketball market knowledge, BasketNews has selected European teams' players, raising their market price the most this year, and can expect significantly higher salaries in the upcoming ...
The 21-year-old FC Barcelona youngster scores 9 points in the last quarter of the Copa del Rey final against rivals Real Madrid and gifts his team the first title of this campaign. It sounds like a fairy tale, but in just a few months, we realized that this can be constantly expected from Rokas Jokubaitis, and it is enough to be surprised. Having considered Zalgiris Kaunas' offer for a long time ...
