Rokas Jokubaitis, chosen in the NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, has clarified his future a little more in an interview with the Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas on Basketnews. The new FC Barcelona player has shared his feelings with his choice in the Draft, his future plans and the decision to continue in Europe or not. Some of his most prominent statements:
El Draft
“I thought the whole draft would last two hours. But I realized that after two hours, they only had 20 picks. I thought it would come out on the 44th or later. That choice was the most realistic for me. When Mark Tatum came out on 32, I got a message from my agent: No. 3. 4! Congratulations! Good work!. It was a fun night. You can only experience it once in a lifetime and I didn’t expect to be selected so soon. No. 34… We were suggesting No. 39 at the very least… As true Lithuanians, we were shy and did not set high expectations. So the 34th pick in the draft made me happy. It was a fun night”.
La Summer League
I’m still waiting for news about the Summer League. If I go to the United States now, later I will go directly to Barcelona from there, which means that I will not see my family and friends before the season. But I would love to test myself in the Summer League. I want to show what I can do and see how they play there »
Her future
“They told me that if they relegated me to the draft, they would save me. I think it is the most realistic scenario. After a good season in Europe, he could go train for the team or play in the Summer League and fight for the roster spot. One has to hope for the best. It would be perfect if I had the opportunity to choose between New York or Barcelona, although it would be a difficult decision. In my opinion, the most likely scenario for me is to stay in Europe for at least one more year.
… What if I had to choose between New York or Barcelona?
First of all, I want to see from the inside how they work in the United States, to see the players, the coaching staff. Then it would be easier to decide in that hypothetical case. So far, I prefer Europe. But I was never that close to the NBA. Now, after tonight of the Draft, I can be more serious about the NBA. It’s weird because I always considered myself a European-style basketball player. That would be a difficult decision … »
Saras Jasikevicius
«We had some conversations. We discussed some things, the future of Barcelona. The average age of Barcelona is around 30 years or more. They needed young players to boost the team. Saras was very sincere. He said, ‘I won’t lie to you. You already know how I am. You will come. We will push you. We will love you. It will be like in Zalgiris. You know me perfectly well and you won’t see anything new. ‘ I loved his honesty. The ACB… He suggested that I compare the ACB with the Lithuanian league. He told me that he would have opportunities in the ACB, but that he could not promise anything in the Euroleague. But it was always like that with Saras. You always have to prove yourself and he won’t take anything for granted. I just wanted to hear it. I am very intrigued to test the level of the CBA. It is the best national championship in Europe. It is going to be a challenge. But I love challenges »
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