Will Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis be picked in the 2023 NBA Draft?
Jun 15, 2023, 7:52 AM
Azuolas Tubelis #10 of the Arizona Wildcats celebrates after scoring against the UCLA Bruins during the second half of the NCAA game at McKale Center on January 21, 2023 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
With the NBA Draft taking place next Thursday, Arizona Wildcats product Azuolas Tubelis is waiting to see where his professional career will begin.
Based on his pre-draft stock, it’s unclear if he will be selected next Thursday.
Out of six two-round mock drafts, Tubelis ranges as high as 51 and as low as being undrafted.
Azuolas Tubelis’ NBA Draft stock in mocks
Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek – 51st, Brooklyn Nets
NBADraft.net – 53rd, Minnesota Timberwolves
ForTheWin.com’s Bryan Kalbrosky – 56th, Memphis Grizzlies
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo – undrafted
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor – undrafted
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman – undrafted
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Tubelis was listed at 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds as a junior at Arizona.
In his last season, he was a consensus Second Team AP All-American, First Team All-Pac-12 member and was one of the five finalists for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.
He averaged 19.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on 57% shooting.
He finished the 2022-23 season with 1,510 career points, putting him 15th on the all-time scoring list at Arizona.
Tubelis was great on offense in the college game, but Tommy Lloyd called him out for his defense down the stretch, a reflection of his limitations when it comes to projecting his NBA profile. This could be what is holding him back from being a well-regarded prospect.
On offense, Tubelis thrived in transition, in the post and by crashing the glass. But he made 31% of his three-pointers on 0.9 attempts per game in the 2022-23 season, which leads to questions about limitations at the next level.
