Give up on: Rokas Jokubaitis
The Knicks selected Rokas Jokubaitis with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2021 draft. Since then, the guard has only been in a New York jersey during the 2021 Summer League. An injury kept him away from Las Vegas in 2022, and his Lithuanian national team commitment and the Knicks’ glut of guards reportedly discouraged him from coming over this summer.
Happy 4th everybody. Last thing on Rokas and why he’s not not playing in Summer League, which is most reasonable since World Cup not till late Aug.
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) July 4, 2023
From his agent:
“There is no room for Rokas on the Knicks roster, therefore playing summer league doesn’t make much sense.” https://t.co/PMadUnZmQg
Knicks fans have understandably wondered if the 22-year-old guard will ever trek to New York. Jokubaitis recently confirmed that he’s playing another season with FC Barcelona (his third), which didn’t come as a surprise.
He helped to lead FC Barcelona to the EuroLeague Final Four this past season, where they lost to Real Madrid, 78-66. Jokubaitis is an exciting young player, hence why he won the EuroLeague Rising Star award in 2022.
Jokubaitis hasn’t had a chance to develop within New York’s organization. Although Tom Thibodeau said earlier this year he’d like to see more of the guard, there doesn’t appear to be a clear path for Jokubaitis to join the Knicks finally.
Maybe next offseason will come, and Rokas Jokubaitis will decide that he’s willing to commit to New York, but that outcome shouldn’t be counted on.
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