NBA Draft Scouting Report: Saint Mary's Forward Paulius Murauskas

Scouting Report: Paulius Murauskas

Nov 19, 2023; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Paulius Murauskas (23) dribbles towards the basket against the Texas-Arlington Mavericks at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports / Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports

1. Player Info
2. Prospect Profile
3. Highlights
4. Draft Projection
5. 2025 Big Board

Player Info

Paulius Murauskas

Forward | Saint Mary's

Height: 6'8” | Weight: 225 lbs 

2025 Draft Age: 21.37

Dec 2, 2023; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Paulius Murauskas (23) shoots a basket against Colgate Raiders guard Kyle Carlesimo (13) during the second half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports / Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports

Prospect Profile

After one season at Arizona in a very limited role, Murauskas is headed to Saint Mary’s where he should be much more of a focal point. A 6-foot-8 forward from Lithuania, his archetype is great for the modern NBA.

He is built like a power forward, but Murauskas moves like more of a wing. He has tremendous length to go along with good coordination and mobility, which allows him to create advantages for himself against a multitude of opponents. He moves too well for bigger frontcourt players to defend him, while most wings are too small to contain him. 

Although on very limited volume (27 attempts) last season, Murauskas converted on better than 50% of his 3-point attempts at Arizona. That’s where he brings a ton of upside at his size, especially if he can maintain even most of that efficiency as his volume presumably increases as a sophomore. There’s plenty of reason to believe he will be a good 3-point shooter moving forward, but proving that on more attempts this season will be key. He has smooth mechanics and a high release point, along with the fact that he’s a good free throw shooter.

There’s certainly room for improvement on the defensive end for Murauskas, who lacks explosiveness and athleticism. He moves well enough in space to defend modern forwards in face-up situations, but cannot handle guards on the perimeter. Furthermore, despite having good length he lacks the pop to be a rim protector and sometimes struggles against more physical bigs. 

Murauskas was a tremendous recruit coming into the collegiate level of play, even if he wasn’t able to carve out a role as a freshman at Arizona. There’s no question he has NBA upside, he just needs an opportunity to develop and learn as he goes. He has the size and skillset to be the perfect fit in the modern NBA and become one of the next big Lithuanian prospects to enter the league. It's worth noting that Murauskas will turn 22 during his rookie season at the NBA level if he goes after this season, so he isn't young relative to most in this upcoming draft class.

Highlights

Draft Projection

Potential Second-Round Pick in 2025 NBA Draft.

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2025 Big Board

Want to know more about other potential 2025 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Big Board.

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