Charlotte Hornets: Arnoldas Kulboka signs with Zalgiris Kaunas
While it’s not confirmed when the NBA’s offseason will be, the Charlotte Hornets found out recently that their 2018 second-round draft pick signed with a new team.
Fans have been waiting a long time for more news about a former draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets. On Monday, Encestando, a Spanish news outlet, reported that Arnoldas Kulboka agreed to a contract with Zalgiris Kaunas.
News about this signing was confirmed in a tweet by Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. Smith then responded to a reply asking about Kulboka’s future with the Hornets by saying it’s “pretty unclear if he ever will”. He added that Kulboka seems “happy in Europe”.
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The Hornets drafted Arnoldas Kulboka in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. As of now, Kulboka’s draft rights are still held by the Hornets, raising many questions about Charlotte’s plans.
Dating back to 2018, Kulboka has only played in eight Summer League games for Charlotte. During the 2019 Summer League, Kulboka averaged 8.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game; he only played in four games.
In the summer of 2019, General Manager Mitch Kupchak told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that Kulboka has NBA skill, but he needs to gain weight and strength. Kupchak also noted that he needs to see more court time.
Since the Hornets have no say in what Europe’s coaches do, Bonnell believes that the Hornets will have to become more hands-on in developing Kulboka.
During the 2019 Euroleague season, Kulboka was with RETAbet Bilbao Basket. According to Basketball-Reference, Kulboka averaged 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game; he also averaged 21.4 minutes per game.
This year’s averages are very similar to the numbers Kulboka averaged in the 2018-19 season with Betaland Capo d’Orlando. Kulboka averaged 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while only seeing 26.1 minutes per game.
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With Kulboka signing with Zalgiris, he remains in his native country of Lithuania. Will the Hornets continue to let Kulboka develop in Europe? Or will they be cutting ties with their former second-round pick in the future?