NBA Draft Scouting Report: Arizona's Motiejus Krivas

The NBA Draft has long been enamored with jumbo bigs capable of protecting the rim at a high level, and Arizona senior Motiejus Krivas is sure to be the next.

The 2027 NBA Draft class will reportedly be weaker than the last two, clearing a path for Krivas to raise his stock as one of the best bigs in the class.

Below is a quick scouting report on the Wildcat:

Position: Center

College: Arizona

Class: Senior

Height: 7-foot-2

Weight: 260

Draft age: 22.6

Strengths:

Size and Physicality:

Krivas immediately stands out as a pro-ready prospect given his height at 7-foot-2, in addition to the way he uses it to position himself on the court. He’s not contact averse, and will involve himself on the glass and in the paint on both ends.

Defensive Impact and Rim-Protection

Far-and-away Krivas’ biggest impact on the court is his rim-protection and defense presence as a whole. Last season, he doled out just shy of two blocks per game across 25 minutes, keeping a lid on the rim.

Even more than just his size and natural shot-blocking instincts, Krivas has better coordination and movement than your average 7-footer, allowing him to cover ground well.

Rebounding

Secondarily, Krivas is an elite rebounder at 8.2 per game last season, rounding out to 12.9 per 40 minutes played. He’s immovable with a good frame, and while he does most of his work on the defensive end, his 3.1 offensive rebounds per game were nothing to scoff at.

Play-Finishing

Krivas hasn’t yet been a stat-stuffer in the scoring department through his collegiate career, but could blossom in his senior season. He’s largely a play-finisher, able to roll, get out in transition, cut, put the ball back and more with soft hands.

Areas of Improvement:

Shooting

Krivas hasn’t yet added a consistent 3-point shot to his arsenal, but the bones are there given his career free throw percentage of 77%, as well as a fine shot form. His senior season could be the time to let it fly. As a junior, he made four of 13 attempts.

Conditioning

Added time on-court is the only thing holding Krivas back from even more impact at this point. As a junior, he played in 39 games, but did so for only 25 minutes per, a massive jump from 15 the year before. Being able to play 30-plus minutes a night could signal NBA-readiness in the eyes of decision-makers.

Outlook:

In the last several drafts, we’ve seen bigs such as Donovan Clingan, Zach Edey, Khaman Maluach, Aday Mara and more surge their way up the draft ranks. And Krivas, in a weaker class, could certainly do the same.

He’ll need to showcase his consistency as a rim-protector and play-finisher, and potentially add a little more to his game to really boost his stock. Though it all feels possible in his senior season with the Wildcats.

Projected Range: Lottery to Late-First

NBA Role: Rim-Protector

Swing Skills: Shooting

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