Ąžuolas Tubelis
Tubelis with Arizona in 2021
No. 10 – Neptūnas Klaipėda
PositionPower forward
LeagueLKL
Personal information
Born (2002-03-22) 22 March 2002
Vilnius, Lithuania
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
CollegeArizona (2020–2023)
NBA draft2023: undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2020Rytas Vilnius
2018–2020Perlas
2023–presentRytas Vilnius
2023–present→Neptūnas Klaipėda
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Ąžuolas Tubelis (born 22 March 2002) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), on loan from Rytas Vilnius. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference. A power forward, he was named first-team All-Pac-12 twice with the Wildcats.

Youth career

In May 2018, Tubelis won the 2017–18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) with the U18 team of Lietuvos rytas Vilnius.[1] On 18 October 2018, he signed a long-term contract with Rytas Vilnius.[2] In the 2018–19 season, he played for Perlas in the National Basketball League (NKL), the second-tier league of Lithuania. He averaged 9.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.[3] In February 2019, Tubelis played for Rytas' U18 team at ANGT Kaunas, where he was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, three steals and 2.8 blocks per game.[4] In June 2019, Tubelis took part in the Basketball Without Borders Europe Camp in Riga.[5]

In 2019–20, Tubelis split playing time between Perlas and Rytas' senior team, emerging as one of the top players in the NKL.[6] He debuted for the senior team in a 6 October 2019 win over Juventus Utena.[3] Tubelis scored an LKL season-high 11 points in a victory over Šiauliai on 1 February 2020.[6] At ANGT Kaunas in February 2020, he averaged 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds, leading Rytas' U18 team to first place and earning tournament most valuable player honors.[7] Later that month, Tubelis participated in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp at 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.[8] In 25 NKL games, he averaged 16.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.[9]

College career

On 27 May 2020, Tubelis committed to play college basketball for Arizona. He joined the team with his twin brother, Tautvilas.[10] Tubelis was considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports.[11]

On 2 February 2023, Tubelis posted a career-high 40 points and nine rebounds in an 91–76 win over Oregon.[12] As a freshmen, he averaged 12.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-Pac-12 honorable mention and All-Freshman Team.[13] Tubelis was named first-team All-Pac-12 as a sophomore and a junior.[14] He declared for the NBA draft, but was not widely projected to be selected.[15] According to Seth Davis of The Athletic, there were questions on his ability to switch onto smaller players away from the basket.[16] ArizonaSports.com wrote that his slow footspeed could be a concern.[17]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Tubelis joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA Summer League.[18] Afterwards, on 17 July 2023, he signed a two-way contract with the 76ers and their NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.[19] However, he was waived by the 76ers on 25 October.[20] On 8 November, he re-signed with Rytas Vilnius and then was loaned to Neptūnas Klaipėda.[21]

National team career

Tubelis played for Lithuania at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Radom, where he averaged 4.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.[22] At the 2018 FIBA U16 European Championship in Novi Sad, he averaged 14.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.[23] Tubelis represented Lithuania at the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship in Volos, averaging 14.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game.[24]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Arizona 262026.7.498.310.6927.11.2.6.612.2
2021–22 Arizona 363524.6.540.263.6696.22.31.1.713.9
2022–23 Arizona 353430.1.570.313.7649.12.01.1.719.8
Career 978927.1.544.295.7147.51.91.0.715.6

Personal life

Tubelis has a twin brother, Tautvilas, who also currently plays basketball for the Arizona Wildcats and has represented Lithuania at the international level.[10] Tubelis' first name, Ąžuolas, translates to oak in Lithuanian and was given to him by his grandfather.[25]

References

  1. ↑ Hein, David (11 February 2020). "Tubelis rises to challenge against archenemy Zalgiris". Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  2. ↑ ""Rytas" pasirašė ilgalaikę sutartį su jaunučių rinktinės lyderiu Tubeliu" (in Lithuanian). Delfi. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Tubelis: "Žaisti "Ryte" man reiškia labai daug"" (in Lithuanian). Basketnews. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Kriisa named MVP of ANGT Kaunas". Adidas Next Generation Tournament. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  5. ↑ "U16 European MVP Prkacin, Marciulionis and talented Germans headline BWB Europe Camp". FIBA. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  6. 1 2 Vanagas, Tomas (5 February 2020). "NKL jaunųjų krepšininkų reitingas: viršūnę pasiekė mitybą pakeitęs 20-metis" (in Lithuanian). Basketnews. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  7. ↑ Hein, David (9 February 2020). "Tubelis takes home MVP as Rytas takes first place". Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Givony, Jonathan; Schmitz, Mike (19 February 2020). "NBA draft stock watch: Standouts from the Basketball Without Borders". ESPN. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Ąžuolas Tubelis / Žaidėjai - NKL". nklyga.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  10. 1 2 Givony, Jonathan (27 May 2020). "Arizona lands international basketball prospect Azuolas Tubelis, twin brother". ESPN.com. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  11. ↑ Daniels, Evan (27 May 2020). "Arizona lands international star Azuolas Tubelis". 247Sports. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  12. ↑ Pascoe, Bruce (2 February 2023). "Tubelis scores 40 in No. 5 Arizona's 91-76 rout of Oregon". ESPN. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Pedersen, Brian J. (5 October 2021). "Tommy Lloyd looking for Azuolas Tubelis to 'become dominant' after productive freshman year". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "2021-22 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Pascoe, Bruce (1 June 2023). "Officially done at UA, Azuolas Tubelis has chance to slide into NBA Draft". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  16. ↑ Davis, Seth (13 June 2023). "Eight college star sleepers for the 2023 NBA Draft: Sanogo, Strawther, Bailey and more". The Athletic. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  17. ↑ Zimmerman, Kevin (23 June 2023). "Report: Wildcats' Azuolas Tubelis not taken in NBA Draft, signs with 76ers". ArizonaSports.com. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  18. ↑ "Roster and Schedules Announced for Salt Lake City Summer League and NBA 2K24 Summer League 2023 in Las Vegas" (Press release). Philadelphia 76ers. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  19. ↑ "Ąžuolas Tubelis Signed to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  20. ↑ "Ricky Council IV Signed to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  21. ↑ "„Rytas" pasirašė sutartį su Ą. Tubeliu ir pristatė naują rėmėją". RytasVilnius.lt (in Lithuanian). 8 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  22. ↑ Hein, David (16 January 2018). "Who to watch at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Kaunas". heinnews. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  23. ↑ "Azuolas Tubelis (LTU)'s profile - FIBA U16 European Championship 2018". FIBA. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  24. ↑ Hein, David (5 February 2020). "ANGT Kaunas: Players to Watch". Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  25. ↑ Hein, David (24 April 2019). "Tubelis is solid as oak for Rytas". Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
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