2023 NBA Draft: Yahoo! Sports projects Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis as second-round pick

There are dozens of mock drafts out there, and for the most part they don’t have Azuolas Tubelis getting selected on Thursday in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Consider Yahoo! Sports to be the exception (or trendsetter) to the rule.

Yahoo! Sports’ Krysten Peek has Tubelis, the Pac-12 scoring and rebounding champ from this past season, going 51^st overall to the Brooklyn Nets.

Here’s what Peek had to say about the 6-foot-11 Tubelis, who ranks 15^th in school history with 1,510 career points:

Tubelis is a lefty with solid touch around the rim and has a good mid-range game off the block. If the Nets take two guards in the first round, they could be targeting size and versatility at the back half of the draft. Tubelis, originally from Lithuania, averaged 19.8 points and 9.1 rebounds during his junior season at Arizona.

Tubelis is ranked by The Athletic as the no. 65 prospect in the draft, while NBADraftRoom.com has him 69^th, though only 58 players will be selected in the two-round draft. It’s normally 60, but the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers both had to forfeit second-round picks.

He has worked out with several NBA teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers, and participated in last month’s NBA Draft Combine. If he doesn’t get drafted, Tubelis is at the very least likely to get invited to play for a franchise in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. That could lead to a contract, or a training camp invite, while playing overseas is also in the cards for him.