What Auburn basketball is getting in Lithuanian wing Mantas Rubštavičius

The Tigers have their final roster piece: A versatile and adaptable sharpshooting wing who has played a ton of basketball all over the world.

AUBURN — In a 1-on-1 interview with The Observer earlier this week, Auburn head coach Steven Pearl described his Year 2 roster as “a lot bigger and a lot older” with more depth and shooting across the board.

And that was before the Tigers got a public commitment from a 6-foot-7 shooter who is already well into his 20s and is Draft Express’ current No. 1 international wing.

Mantas Rubštavičius committed to Auburn on Friday morning, becoming the final piece for the 2026-27 Tigers. The Lithuanian sharpshooter had been heavily linked to Auburn for more than a month, though the process remained quieter than most recruitments due to his ongoing professional season overseas and the unique NCAA eligibility hurdles attached to his résumé.

Rubštavičius has already participated in two NBA Draft cycles and built a lengthy professional career before deciding to make the move to the move to American collegiate basketball. Auburn remained confident throughout the process that he would ultimately receive NCAA clearance.

After rapidly rebuilding its roster through the transfer portal — signing every Division I visitor it hosted alongside international center Narcisse Ngoy during the NIT run — Auburn had to take a more patient approach with its final addition.

That wait may prove worthwhile.

Rubštavičius should slot in as a projected starter at small forward for an Auburn team that brings back a star backcourt in Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton and overhauled its frontcourt with the additions of Bukky Oboye, Narcisse Ngoy, Thomas Dowd and Owen Freeman.

He arrives with high-level experience all over the world, featuring appearances in EuroLeague — widely considered the second-best basketball competition in the world behind the NBA — as well as NBA Summer League action with the Golden State Warriors two years ago.

For what should be the seventh and final player breakdown of the offseason, let’s dive into Rubštavičius’ journey to Auburn, his production overseas, the strengths that make him such an intriguing fit and one make-or-break question.