Florida completed their 2023 roster on Wednesday as it was announced that they would once again dip into international recruiting waters–this time landing Lithuanian point guard Kajus Kublickas.
Ever since getting hired at Florida Todd Golden made it known that he was going to search the globe for talent–pointing out that the SEC, unlike many other leagues, didn’t do much international recruiting. After landing players from Germany and Australia already in his time at Florida, Golden now has a Lithuanian in Kublickas.
Kublickas plays in the development system of Zalgiris Kaunas, undoubtedly the biggest club in the basketball-crazy country of Lithuania. This past season playing for the second division of the Lithuanian league Kublickas averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists while knocking down 38% of his threes. Zalgiris is a professional program and while there are some younger players like Kublickas in the league these are largely professionals, and Kublickas was getting these numbers against grown men. He also made two appearances with the top club, though he didn’t get to see the floor much.
Zalgiris has a track record of developing elite talent and they operate as one of the top basketball programs in the world. Multiple players with NBA experience are currently on the roster, as well as former Gator Kevarrius Hayes. This past season in Euroleague play, a competition with the best clubs in the world outside of the NBA, Zalgiris finished 7th. Zalgiris’ elite talent and top-level coaching and resources means that Kublickas has had high-level training and should arrive in Gainesville with much more polish than a lot of 18 year olds.
That isn’t to say that you should expect Kublickas to play a major role right away as Zyon Pullin, Walter Clayton, and Denzel Aberdeen should hold down the primary ball handling duties. However, Kublickas offers a lot of upside as a player that already has a polished skill set but just needs to add some muscle and athleticism to his game. Kublickas is listed at 6’1”, and will likely need to get a bit faster and stronger to compete in the SEC. However, from a skill standpoint, Kublickas is extremely advanced when it comes to ball handling, passing, and shooting in a way you only get from someone who already has pro experience. In Lithuania Kublickas is known as a traditional point guard who can orchestrate an offense and get teammates into spots to be successful before making the right read out of the pick and roll. He’s also an outstanding shooter, something that the Gators are looking for out of all their guard prospects.
Taking an international point guard who requires some development is a wise roster building move for the Gators as the supply of traditional ball handlers has not satisfied demand in recent seasons. Every team is looking for point guards in the portal, and this past offseason many came up empty. Florida getting a point guard in the system now is good business as Kublickas is likely to be ready to contribute in a season or two when the Gators need depth at the position.