Tacko Fall
January 30, 2025
Mantas Rubstavicius
- Nationality: LTU
- Date of Birth: 6/03/02
- Place of Birth: Panevėžys, Lithuania
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 198
- Weight (KG): 83
- Junior Assoc: LTU - Panevėžio KKSC
- College: Auburn (2026–)
- NBL DEBUT: 22/10/23
- AGE AT DEBUT: 21
- LAST NBL GAME: 4/03/24
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 21
- NBL History: New Zealand 2024
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Mantas Rubstavicius was born in Panevėžys, Lithuania.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Mantas Rubstavicius made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 21 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.
After falling one game short of the NBL championship the previous season, New Zealand re-signed William McDowell-White on a two-year deal and retained captain Thomas Abercrombie, Cameron Gliddon and Izayah Le’Afa. Finn Delany (via Bonn) returned after a season in Germany, while Mangok Mathiang (via Hapoel Eilat), Dane Pineau (via South East Melbourne) and Next Star Mantas Rubstavicius (via Lietkabelis) joined the roster. Coach Mody Maor replaced outgoing imports Barry Brown Jr. (to China), Jarrell Brantley (to France) and Dererk Pardon (to Italy) with Parker Jackson-Cartwright (via Besiktas), Zylan Cheatham (via Bayern Munich) and Justinian Jessup (via Zaragoza).
The Lithuanian withdrew from the 2023 NBA Draft and signed a two-year deal through the NBL Next Stars program to continue developing his game. He had led the 2022 FIBA Under-20 European Championship in scoring at 19.7 points per game, helped Lithuania reach the final and was selected to the tournament’s All-Star Five.
“He led the competition in scoring and Lithuania to the final and this is when he put himself on the radar for the Breakers,” Maor said. “He has experience in high-pressure situations in competitive environments and has been playing against adults, which is not the case when you get an 18-year-old.”
A groin injury suffered before the NBL Blitz ruled Rubstavicius out for four to six weeks and delayed the beginning of his season. Rubstavicius (2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist) made his NBL debut against Melbourne at John Cain Arena on October 22, with Cheatham (30 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Jackson-Cartwright (18 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals) leading New Zealand, while Ian Clark (18 points and 2 steals) was Melbourne’s leading scorer as United won 97-88.
Rubstavicius (9.4 points across 25 games) overcame further lower-leg problems to start 15 of his 23 regular-season appearances, shooting 52 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range. His size, shooting and ability to attack close-outs provided the Breakers with another scoring option on the wing during the second half of the season.
Rubstavicius’ best game came against Cairns at the Cairns Convention Centre on December 15, where he made his first NBL start and finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He made 5-of-8 field goals, two three-pointers and all nine free throws, while Lamb (29 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block) and Jackson-Cartwright (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists) helped New Zealand shoot 58.7 percent from the field. Taran Armstrong (15 points and 4 assists) led Cairns as the Breakers won 111-82, recording their highest score and largest victory of the season.
One week later, Rubstavicius (17 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists) provided an important second-half spark against Sydney at Spark Arena, making a three-pointer and completing a three-point play during a 9-0 run to open the third quarter. Lamb (24 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Jackson-Cartwright (17 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists) led New Zealand, while Kouat Noi (19 points and 4 rebounds) was Sydney’s leading scorer as the Breakers won 109-101 and collected their second consecutive victory.
Rubstavicius (17 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 4 steals) made 6-of-8 field goals and three three-pointers against Illawarra at the WIN Entertainment Centre on January 28 before fouling out late in the game. Cheatham (19 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Jackson-Cartwright (18 points and 4 steals) provided support, but Gary Clark (29 points and 8 rebounds) led the Hawks to an 89-85 victory, leaving New Zealand at 10-13 and outside the top six.
A pelvis injury limited Jessup to two games and led to Lamb (via Golden State) joining as his injury replacement, while Delany, Cheatham and McDowell-White also missed time during an injury-disrupted campaign. Jackson-Cartwright (20.6 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.9 steals across 30 games) led the team, while Lamb (19.5 points and 6 rebounds across 22 games), Cheatham (15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds across 19 games) and McDowell-White (9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists across 24 games) formed New Zealand’s other main contributors. Jackson-Cartwright and Lamb were selected to the All-NBL First Team.
After sitting at 8-12 in January, New Zealand won five of its final seven games to secure a post-season place. Rubstavicius (8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block) contributed across the box score in the final regular-season game against Adelaide, with Jackson-Cartwright (24 points) and McDowell-White (14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) leading New Zealand, while Dejan Vasiljevic (25 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists) carried the 36ers to a 76-70 win. The Breakers finished sixth with a 13-15 record, advancing ahead of Brisbane through points percentage.
New Zealand travelled to Qudos Bank Arena to face Sydney in the Play-In Qualifier, where Rubstavicius (5 points, 4 assists, and 1 block) fouled out after receiving a second unsportsmanlike foul. Jackson-Cartwright (34 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Cheatham (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) led the Breakers, while Jaylen Adams (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) was Sydney’s best as New Zealand recovered from a first-half deficit to win 83-76 and eliminate the two-time defending champions.
Rubstavicius (11 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal) reached double figures in the second Play-In game against Illawarra, with Jackson-Cartwright (19 points, 9 assists, and 2 steals) and Cheatham (14 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 steal) leading New Zealand. Justin Robinson (26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals) and Sam Froling (21 points and 9 rebounds) carried Illawarra to an 88-85 victory, ending the Breakers’ season one game short of the semifinals.
Rubstavicius (to Panevezys) departed New Zealand during the off-season after completing his season in the Next Stars program.
Mantas Rubstavicius played one season in the NBL. He averaged 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 25 NBL games.
HIGHLIGHTS:
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 22 | New Zealand | 13-15 (6) | 25 | 494 | 234 | 52 | 29 | 16 | 36 | 20 | 3 | 27 | 67 | 76 | 147 | 52% | 31 | 73 | 42% | 51 | 62 | 82% | 66% | 62% | 21 | Totals | 25 | 494 | 234 | 52 | 29 | 16 | 36 | 20 | 3 | 27 | 67 | 76 | 147 | 51.7% | 31 | 73 | 42.5% | 51 | 62 | 82.3% | 67% | 62% | 21 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 22 | New Zealand | 13-15 (6) | 25 | 19.7 | 9.4 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 5.9 | 52% | 1.2 | 2.9 | 42% | 2.0 | 2.5 | 82% | 66% | 62% | 21 | Total | 25 | 19.7 | 9.4 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 5.9 | 51.7% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 42.5% | 1.2 | 2.9 | 82.3% | 67% | 62% | 21 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 21 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
FIBA EXPERIENCE
The Lithuanian announced himself to the basketball world in the European Under 20 championships in 2022, where he was selected to the All-Tournament Team and led Lithuania to the gold medal game. He topped the competition in scoring, putting up an atournament high 38 points against France in the Quarter-Finals and averaged 19.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists a game.
Rubštavičius also made his debut on the Lithuanian Senior National Team in February during the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and 12 points in 16 minutes on debut in a win over Hungary.
NBA EXPERIENCE
After completing the 2023/24 NBL season with the New Zealand Breakers, Mantas Rubstavicius went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft before joining the Golden State Warriors NBA Summer League squad for the July 2024 California Classic and Las Vegas events.
In his first outing against the Los Angeles Lakers on 7 July 2024 (8 July Australian time), Rubstavicius recorded 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals in 25 minutes while shooting 4-of-8 from the field. He followed with 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal against Sacramento, then recorded 2 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists against Phoenix. He added 12 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist against Cleveland and later appeared against Oklahoma City without scoring.
The opportunity was a Summer League roster place rather than an NBA regular-season contract. See NBLs 2024 Summer League recap and Golden States official Summer League roster.
Rubstavicius played games in the NBA. He averaged 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists per game over his NBA career.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Lithuania - Zalgiris (2021–2022), Lietkabelis (2022–2023)
Mantas Rubstavicius joined Zalgiris for the 2021–2022 Lithuanian Basketball League season, playing his first season in Lithuania with the Kaunas-based powerhouse as he continued his development in the club’s senior program.
After his time at Zalgiris, Rubstavicius joined Lietkabelis for the 2022–2023 Lithuanian Basketball League and EuroCup season, returning to Panevezys on a 1+1 agreement signed on 12 July 2022.
Across the 2022–2023 campaign, Rubstavicius played a total of 59 games combined between the Lithuanian domestic competition and the EuroCup, largely as a starter for Lietkabelis, and he averaged 7.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 17 minutes per game, sharing the rotation with teammates including Gediminas Orelik, Vytenis Lipkevicius and Gyorgy Goloman.
In EuroCup play that season, he appeared in 18 games and made nine starts, averaging 4.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 14.8 minutes per game as part of Lietkabelis’ backcourt and wing group during its European schedule.
COLLEGE
Mantas Rubštavičius joined Auburn for the 2026–27 season as a 6-foot-6 guard from Panevezys, Lithuania, beginning his first NCAA campaign after eight years of development and professional basketball in Lithuania and Australia.
Rubštavičius joined Žalgiris Kaunas in 2018 and progressed through the Lithuanian club system before establishing himself at senior level. Auburn noted that he averaged 7.1 points per game in the Lithuanian league in 2022 before later moving to Australia.
He joined the New Zealand Breakers for the 2023–24 NBL season and appeared in 23 games, averaging 9.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 19.8 minutes per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the field, 43.3 percent from three-point range and 81.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Rubštavičius returned to Lithuania and spent time on loan with Lietkabelis, where Auburn credited him with averages of 13.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 2024. He then returned to Žalgiris Kaunas and averaged 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists during the 2025–26 season while helping the club finish 31–1.
His international junior career included a standout run for Lithuania at the 2022 FIBA U20 European Championship, where he led the tournament in scoring at 19.7 points per game while adding 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists and earning All-Tournament honours as Lithuania reached the final.
Rubštavičius produced one of the tournament’s defining performances in the quarter-finals against France, scoring 38 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including five three-pointers, as Lithuania won 89–79. He followed with 18 points and seven rebounds in the semi-final against Montenegro before scoring 15 points in the championship game against Spain.
Auburn officially announced his signing in June 2026, with head coach Steven Pearl adding an experienced European guard to the Tigers’ 2026–27 roster. Rubštavičius entered the season without previous NCAA statistics, making Auburn his first college basketball program.
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