After a recent workout with the Indiana Pacers, former Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis said he displayed the same sort of things he’s always done on the court.
“I tried to show that I’m unselfish player,” Tubelis said. “I love to run the floor, make easy baskets. I love to rebound, just play hard. And I love playing with my teammates and make them make open shots.”
Yeah, for sure. But after the workout, the Lithuanian forward also showed something he hasn’t been known as much for: His dry wit.
Just a few words of English, sprinkled here and there to good effect, and Tubelis can get a crowd laughing.
On multiple occasions, he had the Indianapolis media chuckling after a workout with the Pacers last week. Tubelis happened to be auditioning along with Trayce Jackson-Davis, the former Indiana Hoosiers standout, and poked fun at their matchup in a Dec. 10 game at Las Vegas last season.
In that one, Arizona won 89-75 in part because Tubelis had 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting while picking up seven rebounds and blocking three shots. And because he helped hold Jackson-Davis to just 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
“We shut him down, you know?” Tubelis said. “I don’t think I need to remind him.”
As it turned out, Jackson-Davis went on to earn first-team all-American honors, while Tubelis was a consensus second-team pick. Jackson-Davis is also now a projected first-round NBA Draft pick, while Tubelis is expected to be taken late or become one of the top undrafted players.
Both Trayce Jackson-Davis, left, and Azuolas Tubelis, right, have worked out for the Pacers. The NBA Draft is June 22.
But Tubelis didn’t express a problem with any of that, complimenting Jackson-Davis on his improvement since December. He even admitted that some of Jackson-Davis’ 3-pointers during the Pacers workout were “basically in my face.”
“I’m happy for him … you should learn from your mistakes,” Tubelis said, then smiling as he said, “He got better because of me.”
Tubelis also drew chuckles when he talked about playing with standout Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin for two seasons at Arizona, in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Tubelis said he set Mathurin up for wide-open shots, keeping Mathurin from having to create his own.
“I made him a better player,” Tubelis said. “He couldn’t dribble the ball back then. Now he’s the best. We’re seeing how much work he puts in here. I’m proud of him.”
Maybe Mathurin is paying him back now. In a separate interview with Pacers.com, Tubelis acknowledged with a grin that Mathurin gave him something of a job reference with the Pacers, who hold five picks in the 2023 draft (Nos. 7, 26, 29, 32 and 55).
“He talked great about me. Of course he did,” Tubelis said. “If he wouldn’t, you know, we would talk differently.”
Tubelis said he texted Mathurin a picture to show he was working out with the Pacers and that Mathurin wished him luck. Then, when Tubelis jokingly let Mathurin know he was taking his shoes and moving them around the locker room, Mathurin responded playfully.
“He started to (say), ‘Don’t touch my stuff. I’m a superstar around here,’ “ Tubelis said. “He likes to joke a lot now with that deep voice and serious face. But he’s a funny guy. I love him and I’m proud of him.”
Now projected to become a second-round pick or one of the top undrafted players in the June 22 Draft, Tubelis said playing college basketball helped him adjust to the speed of the game in the U.S. He also credited his teammates for helping him become the Wildcats’ leading scorer last season. Tubelis averaged 19.8 points while shooting 57.0% from the field.
“I think it’s just not me individually trying to score,” Tubelis said. “My teammates created shots for me (and also they came) with my hustle making plays. I just play hard and it kind of goes in. Then you see it’s like 20 points (in the) same game.”
Phillps rises in rankings
After playing well on the EYBL circuit and in the Pangos All-American Camp this spring, UA commit Jamari Phillips has moved up in the class of 2024 rankings.
UA commit Jamari Phillips was named co-MVP at the Pangos All-American Camp in June 2023 in Las Vegas.
Phillips rose from No. 30 to No. 17 in 247 Sports’ latest rankings and is now 21 overall in 247’s consensus rankings. On3 has Phillips at No. 31 in its “industry consensus” and No. 72 in its own rankings.
Over four games at the Pangos All-American Camp in Las Vegas last weekend, Phillips averaged 12.5 points while shooting 40.0% from 3-point range. He was also named co-MVP of the Top 60 Game and played well, organizer Dinos Trigonis said.
Brown on move again
Former Arizona forward Jordan Brown has reportedly entered the transfer portal after earning first-team all-Sun Belt honors last season at Louisiana, putting him on track to play at his fourth college for a sixth season of college basketball in 2023-24.
After becoming a high-school all-American and then spending his freshman season at Nevada in 2018-19, Brown transferred to Arizona and sat out the 2019-20 season as a redshirt before becoming the Pac-12’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2020-21.
Brown started 12 of 26 games that season but moved from power forward to center when then-coach Sean Miller started Tubelis after six games. Brown then moved to a bench role when Miller began starting Christian Koloko at center on Jan. 14.
Brown wound up averaging 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Wildcats in 2021-22. At Louisiana, he averaged 15.3 points in 2021-22 and 19.3 last season for the Ragin’ Cajuns, who lost to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
New guys get settled
Transfers Keshad Johnson (San Diego State) and Jaden Bradley (Alabama), along with incoming freshman KJ Lewis, have all arrived in Tucson.
The newcomers were helping last week at the UA’s first summer basketball camp, which was held for boys ages 6-14. Bradley and Lewis were also named “Celebrity Coaches” during the Tucson Summer Pro League for Kids competition this weekend.
UA’s returning players have scattered. Guards Kylan Boswell (USA) and Filip Borovicinan (Serbia) have both been invited to tryouts for their countries’ U19 teams that will compete in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary later this month. USA Basketball’s camp begins Sunday in Colorado Springs.
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