NBA Draft Scouting Report: Arizona's Azuolas Tubelis

Prospect Profile

Tubelis is a highly skilled forward that’s continued to improve each season at the college level. Known for being a scorer, the 6-foot-11 forward is a double-double machine.

Tall shooters and floor spacers are becoming increasingly valuable at the NBA level, which is why Tubelis is viewed as a quality prospect. While he’s not a volume shooter from deep at this point, what he’s shown would suggest he could absolutely be a reliable perimeter threat down the road. While it’s a small sample size, he’s drastically improved his 3-point efficiency after being poor from that range in his first two seasons. We’ll need to see more, but there’s optimism long-term with his floor spacing upside.

The Lithuanian forward plays as more of a power forward at the college level, but is skilled enough to even play some wing in the NBA if that 3-point shot is legitimate.

Even inside the arc, Tubelis has great touch around the rim and is crafty in the post. The lefty is more of a finesse player in the paint than a powerful one. While he definitely prefers using his left hand, he’s also capable of finishing right.

Tubelis’ game truly does align with how the modern NBA game is played. Especially with his upside in transition, with the ability to pull down a rebound and push on his own, it’s easy to see how he’d fit in these systems. He’s got great vision and handle for his size which is crucial for modern forwards.

He’s not a dominant defender or rim protector, but Tubelis does produce a high number of steals and blocks. He’s disruptive on that end and should be just fine defending NBA forwards.

Tubelis made an All Pac-12 Team as a sophomore last season, and has since gotten better. He is just one of those prospects that’s shown linear improvement every season, which gives hope it will continue moving forward at higher levels. He is an older prospect given he’s played three college seasons, but the Wildcats forward is still worth consideration in the second round.

The former four-star was a big recruit internationally and has a ton of experience playing at a high level. He helped Lithuania to a sixth place finish at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia in summer of 2021 and played at very high levels internationally before that. He was also an NBA Basketball Without Borders Global Camp standout.

Azuolas plays alongside his twin brother Tautvilas at Arizona, which is always a fun dynamic. 

Highlights

Draft Projection

Second-Round Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.

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