Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade has announced the signing of Rokas Giedraitis on a one-year deal. Giedraitis (2.00 meters, 30 years old) joins from Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, where he averaged 10.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and a 13.5 PIR across 34 games in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. The Lithuanian forward has four years of experience in the EuroLeague, having made his competition debut with ALBA Berlin in the 2019-20 campaign and spent the last three seasons with Baskonia. Giedraitis is Zvezda's seventh signing of the summer and he will once again play under Dusko Ivanovic, who was his head coach at Baskonia in the 2020-21 season.
Crvena Zvezda strengthens with Rokas Giedraitis arrival
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A regular performer in the EuroLeague
Ever since Giedraitis stepped foot in the EuroLeague, he has made a positive impression. In his rookie season with ALBA, the 30-year-old posted 13.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 14.7 PIR, showing his all-action style of play. In the summer of 2020, he made the move to Baskonia and continued to perform at a consistent level, averaging 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 12.9 PIR in his first year at the club.
The 2021-22 season saw Giedraitis average 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 11.8 PIR, while the last campaign witnessed a slight change to his game. Although Giedraitis had his lowest scoring average with 10.4 points per game, he set career highs for rebounds and assists, increasing these figures to 5.9 boards and 1.6 dimes per night.
An interesting journey to the EuroLeague
Prior to his EuroLeague debut in 2019, Giedraitis established himself in the BKT EuroCup. Despite largely having a bench role during his three seasons with Lithuanian club Rytas Vilnius, he increased his numbers year on year. After posting 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals and a 5.0 PIR in 10 games in the 2015-16 campaign, he boosted those numbers to 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and an 8.0 PIR across 14 games in the following season. In his final year at Rytas, in the 2017-18 season, Giedraitis made 16 appearances in the EuroCup and averaged 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals and an 11.8 PIR.
From there, Giedraitis moved to ALBA, where he posted 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals and a 15.8 PIR as the German club reached the EuroCup Finals. That year, the Lithuania international was named to the All-EuroCup First Team due to his performances on the court.
Earlier in his career, Giedraitis suited up for Saule-Aukstabalis Siauliai (2010-11), the University of Siauliai-ABRO Siauliai (2011-12), Mazeikiai (2012-13) and Siauliai (2013-15), all of which are in his native Lithuania.