Knicks’ plan for Rokas Jokubaitis as he impresses in EuroLeague
The Knicks will send scouts to Serbia to watch Jokubaitis — among others — even as the NBA Draft Combine commences in Chicago.
Barcelona will face Real Madrid in one game while Olympiacos takes on Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the other matchup.
Despite his progress, The Post has learned the Knicks are heavily leaning toward letting him stay in Spain for next season. That would give the 21-year-old Lithuanian another year to polish his game and get stronger.
In addition, the Knicks also may have cap space in 2023 with all their expiring contracts, giving them flexibility to offer him more than the $1 million minimum for second-round picks.
If they signed Jokubaitis this summer, the Knicks would have to eat into their $10 million mid-level exception to give Jokubaitis more than the league’s minimum wage.
And because of the expiring contracts to players such as Alec Burks and Derrick Rose, the 2023-24 roster will have more room.
In 35 EuroLeague games, Jokubaitis came off the bench, averaging 17 minutes and 7.2 points. However, he shot a sensational 59.5 percent on 3-point shots (the distance is closer than NBA distance). He also dished out 2.8 assists per game compared to 1.8 turnovers.
Jokubaitis had very similar stats in 31 games in the Spanish league, also playing 17 minutes, but shot at a lesser-but-still-solid 43 percent from 3.
Another concern is Barcelona is not expected to allow Jokubaitis to play for the Knicks during the Las Vegas summer league. Barcelona already will be owed a buyout if he plays in the NBA. Last August, Jokubaitis played in three summer league games and the Knicks were happy with his ball-handling, basketball IQ and tenacity as a defender.
Me parece correcto el plan de los Knicks con Rokas...
https://nypost.com/2022/05/16/knicks-pl ... uroleague/