Getty Knicks star Jalen Brunson #11 of the United States drives to the basket against Rokas Jokubaitis #13 (L) and Jonas Valanciunas #17 of Lithuania in the first half during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2nd Round Group J game at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on September 03, 2023.
Lithuanian point guard Rokas Jokubaitis faces a crossroads in his basketball career this summer with his national team duties and an NBA Summer League stint with the New York Knicks about to come to a head.
“If Lithuania makes it to the Olympic Games in Paris, unfortunately, Rokas won’t be able to attend NBA Summer League,” Sarunas Broga, Jokubaitis’ agent, told New York Sports’ Stefan Bondy. “Otherwise, Rokas will strongly consider taking part.”
Lithuania is one of the six countries that will play in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico from July 2 to 7.
Ranked No. 10 in the world, Lithuania will be the favorite to grab the lone Olympic berth up for grabs in Puerto Rico.
Italy (No. 13) and the host country (No. 16) are the only other teams in the top 20 competing in group. Mexico (No. 25), Ivory Coast (No. 31) and Bahrain (No. 17) completes the cast.
They will be divided in two groups with the top two teams from each facing in a crossover semifinals.
Jokubaitis, the 34th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, faced Knicks stalwarts Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart in the FIBA World Cup in Manila last year.
The Lithuanian guard impressed Brunson after he led his team with six assists against only two turnovers on top of nine points, three rebounds and one steal. He was plus-8 in the game he controlled, starting with his steady playmaking and backcourt leadership as Lithuania scored a 110-104 upset of Team USA.
“Yeah [he can play in the NBA], he’s a great player,” Brunson said after the loss. “I got a lot of respect for him. It’s just always great when you can play against players, against the world. They got a lot of talent everywhere.”
Rokas Jokubaitis’ Chance to Crack Knicks Roster
Last year, Jokubaitis skipped the NBA Summer League because his camp felt it did not make sense with the Knicks loaded in their backcourt.
“There is no room for Rokas on the Knicks roster, therefore playing Summer League doesn’t make much sense,” Broga told Bondy at the time.
But the Knicks’ guard depth has been depleted with their successive midseason trades this season.
Gone are Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes and with veteran Alec Burks unlikely to return on a minimum contract, Jokubaitis has a shot at cracking the Knicks roster as a third-string guard behind Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride especially with the roster about to get expensive.
If the Knicks’ exceptions are frozen if they become a first or second apron team, assuming they re-sign OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein, they can bring in Jokubaitis as a second round pick exception, according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks.
“A second round pick exception which could be anywhere from a three-year at a minimum, a
three-year contract with team option on the last year or four-year contract with team option in the fourth year and it’s it’s basically minimum type type deal,” Marks explained on “Knicks FanTV” on June 4.
Rokas Jokubaitis’ Other Option
According to Sportando’s Alessandro Luigi Maggi, Jokubaitis is expected to leave Barcelona after spending his the last three seasons with Spanish ball club.
Jokubaitis’ minutes dropped with the arrival of NBA veterans Ricky Rubio and Tomas Satoransky at Barcelona.
“Should he stay in Europe, Zalgiris Kaunas is favorite to sign the Lithuanian point guard,” Maggi wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on March 26.