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Nik Stauskas

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Nik Stauskas
Born (1993-10-07) October 7, 1993 (age 33)
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
OccupationProfessional basketball player (retired)
Years active2014–2022
Known forNBA shooting guard; Michigan Wolverines basketball; Canadian national team

Nikolas Tomas Stauskas (born October 7, 1993) is a retired Canadian professional basketball athlete who spent six seasons competing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Playing primarily as a shooting guard, Stauskas represented the Michigan Wolverines during his two collegiate seasons from 2012 to 2014. He was chosen eighth overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. Of Lithuanian heritage, Stauskas also played for the Canadian national basketball team.

In his freshman year at Michigan, Stauskas received numerous accolades such as Sports Illustrated National Freshman of the Week, three occasions as Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week, and was honored by the United States Basketball Writers Association as National Freshman of the Year. Additionally, he earned a spot on the South All-Regional Team during the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. His sophomore campaign concluded with him being recognized as a consensus All-American and securing the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award for the 2013–14 season.

Throughout his professional tenure, Stauskas played for multiple NBA and NBA G League franchises. A highlight of his career was reaching the NBA Finals in 2022 while with the Boston Celtics.

Early life

Stauskas was raised in Mississauga, Ontario. His initial basketball involvement was with the Aušra Sports Club, a Toronto-based organization catering to children of Lithuanian descent. Michigan's head coach John Beilein observed in 2013 that Stauskas showed a strong focus on basketball, having little familiarity with other sports such as hockey or football.

High school career

Up until 2009, Stauskas competed for Loyola Catholic Secondary School, where he averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists during the 2007–08 season, then elevated his performance to 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in 2008–09. He became part of a leading Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) program in Toronto managed by Ro Russell, whose former players include NBA talents like Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph. For the 2009–10 academic year, Stauskas attended South Kent School, but after missing one season due to a hip injury, he transferred to St. Mark's School for the following year.

Michigan head coach John Beilein first noticed Stauskas during an NBA camp in 2010 prior to his junior year. That summer, Stauskas visited Michigan and was also pursued by other programs such as Villanova, Iowa State, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Florida, and Providence. By his arrival at St. Mark's, expectations were high for him to become an All-State player. In the 2011 NEPSAC Class AA Championship game, he led St. Mark’s with 17 points but ultimately fell to Tilton School.

On March 26, 2011, Stauskas made a verbal commitment to Michigan, becoming their second recruit for the class of 2012. That summer, he impressed by scoring 27 points during an exhibition game against the Baylor Bears men's basketball team.

Ahead of his senior year, ESPN ranked him among the top 25 three-point shooters nationwide in the class of 2012. Together with fellow recruits Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary, Stauskas contributed to Michigan assembling a consensus top-10 recruiting class for that year. He guided St. Mark’s to a 67–57 victory over Friends Central in the Hoophall Classic and posted 19 points to secure the 2012 NEPSAC Class AA Championship against Tilton, earning MVP honors for that contest. Alongside teammate Kaleb Tarczewski, he was named to the 2012 All-NEPSAC Class AA first team. These accomplishments further elevated his national rankings.

College career

Following the 2011–12 season, the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, which had shared the Big Ten Conference title, faced the departure of co-captains Zack Novak and Stu Douglass due to graduation, along with three players transferring out. However, the squad retained All-Big Ten talents Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Freshman season

Stauskas joined Michigan with expectations as a proficient long-range shooter, having demonstrated exceptional skill in three-point shooting drills. The team secured the 2012 NIT Season Tip-Off championship at Madison Square Garden by defeating Pittsburgh and Kansas State. During this tournament, Stauskas averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, earning him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. On November 27, he achieved a then-personal best of 20 points in a win over ranked NC State. His first career start came on December 1 against Bradley, where he surpassed his previous scoring mark with 22 points, resulting in another Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolade.

By the end of December, Stauskas was leading the nation in three-point shooting percentage. On January 16, 2013, Sporting News recognized him as the surprise player of the year's first half. As of January 28, he topped the Big Ten in free throw percentage at .833 and led in three-pointers made while ranking second in three-point accuracy at .490. Michigan achieved its first number one ranking in the AP Poll since 1992. On January 31, both Stauskas and teammate Robinson were selected for the Wayman Tisdale Award midseason top 12 list spotlighting outstanding freshman performances.

Throughout the 18-game Big Ten schedule, Stauskas shot 37% from beyond the arc (30-for-81). Approaching the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, he had successfully converted his last 20 free throws consecutively and concluded the season with an impressive free throw percentage of 85.1%, surpassing the conference leader.

In the regional final against Florida on March 31, Stauskas set a school NCAA Tournament record by making all six of his three-point attempts—five occurring in the first half—achieving the highest three-point shooting percentage for a single game (minimum five attempts). Michigan advanced to the national championship game but fell to Louisville with a score of 82–76. He matched his career high with six three-pointers and scored 22 points exclusively from shots taken from the left corner. The six made threes elevated his freshman season total to a Michigan record of 80, eclipsing Tim Hardaway Jr.'s previous record of 76. This tally was just one short of the Big Ten record held by Glen Rice and others.

Stauskas was named to the South All-Regional team alongside McGary and tournament Most Outstanding Player Trey Burke. Nationally, his average of only 0.9 fouls per 40 minutes ranked second.

Sophomore season

During the offseason, Stauskas increased his muscle mass and improved his vertical leap significantly. On November 12, he posted career-best figures with 23 points and five assists against South Carolina State. Five days later, he recorded a new personal high of six assists along with 20 points versus Iowa State. Continuing his streak, on November 21 in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament against Long Beach State, he led all scorers with 24 points marking his third straight game scoring over twenty points. The next day, he set another career high by scoring 26 points—including seven of Michigan's thirteen overtime points—and converted a career-best nine free throws. Despite sustaining an ankle sprain during the tournament final against Charlotte where he contributed 20 points and three steals, he earned MVP honors for the event. He opted to rest his ankle for the November 29 matchup against Coppin State.

On January 2 in Michigan's Big Ten opener versus Minnesota, Stauskas achieved a career high with seven assists while adding fourteen points. On January 14 against Penn State, he led with twenty-one points alongside five assists and six rebounds. Four days later, he scored twenty-three points—including Michigan’s final eleven—to secure a victory over #3 Wisconsin at Kohl Center, ending an eleven-game losing streak there. This performance earned him his inaugural Big Ten Player of the Week award; at that point in time, he led the conference in scoring and number of twenty-point games. On January 22 against #10 Iowa, Stauskas matched his career high with twenty-six points while contributing five rebounds and assists each as Michigan defeated back-to-back top-10 opponents for the first time since the 1996–97 season.

In a January 25 rivalry contest against #3 Michigan State, he tallied nineteen points and four assists while shooting five-for-six on three-pointers. This win represented Michigan’s first occasion defeating three consecutive AP top-10 teams in program history and marked their best Big Ten start (7–0) since the 1976–77 campaign. Stauskas received his second Big Ten Player of the Week award on January 27 and was also honored as Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on January 28. At that juncture, he led the conference in both scoring and three-point shooting percentage.

Following a modest six-point output during a February 2 loss to Indiana—which ended Michigan’s ten-game winning streak and undefeated conference start—Stauskas set a personal best with eight assists on February 5 in a commanding victory over Nebraska. On February 23 versus #13/14 Michigan State, he led all scorers with nine made field goals totaling twenty-five points including a pivotal second-half rally from an early deficit; this effort garnered him his third Big Ten Player of the Week recognition.

On March 4, Stauskas contributed twenty-four points including seven three-pointers as Michigan secured its outright Big Ten championship. He wrapped up regular-season play on March 8 by leading with twenty-one points in a win over Indiana. On March 10, he earned his fourth Big Ten Player of the Week award—setting a new single-season record at Michigan—and finished as the sole Big Ten player ranking within the top ten across field goal percentage (48.9), three-point percentage (45.8), and free throw percentage (81.1).

During NCAA Tournament action on March 22 against Texas, Stauskas equaled his assist career high with eight while leading Michigan’s scoring with seventeen points. The Wolverines were eliminated in the Elite Eight by Kentucky where Stauskas topped all scorers with twenty-four points. He was selected for inclusion on the All-Midwest Regional team alongside teammate Caris LeVert.

On April 15, Stauskas announced his decision to enter the 2014 NBA draft during a joint press conference alongside Glenn Robinson III. Over his two seasons at Michigan, he contributed to what became one of the program's most successful periods with fifty-nine total wins. Historically, most early NBA draft entrants from Michigan were chosen within the first two rounds. Stauskas signed with agent Bartelstein as part of his professional transition alongside teammate McGary.

Watchlists and accolades

On February 13, Stauskas was selected as one of four players from the Big Ten to appear on the 30-player midseason list for the Naismith College Player of the Year. By March 8, he was among two Big Ten athletes named as finalists within the group of 15 contenders for the John R. Wooden Award.

In 2014, Stauskas received several All-American distinctions: he was chosen for the second team by Sporting News and Sports Illustrated, placed on the third team by USA Today and NBC Sports, and earned first-team honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Additional recognition came from Bleacher Report, and after securing a second-team selection from the Associated Press, he achieved consensus All-American status. Furthermore, Stauskas was included in the John R. Wooden Award All-American Team.

He secured the title of Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year and was unanimously selected for the first-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media outlets, marking him as Michigan’s fifth player to receive this honor and the second in consecutive years. On March 11, he was honored as District V (OH, IN, IL, MI, MN, WI) Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association, followed by a place on the NABC Division I All-District 7 first team announced on March 12. Additionally, Stauskas earned a position on the 2014 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament All-Tournament Team.

Performance data

Stauskas ranks second in Michigan’s history with a career free throw accuracy of 83.16%, while his three-point shooting percentage of 44.10% stands fifth all-time.


|- |style="text-align:left;"|2012–13 |style="text-align:left;"|Michigan |39||33||30.5||.463||.440||.851||3.0||1.3||0.6||0.2||11.0 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2013–14 |style="text-align:left;"|Michigan |36||36||35.6||.470||.442||.824||2.9||3.3||0.6||0.3||17.5 |}


2014 NBA draft

Speculation about Stauskas entering the 2014 NBA draft grew in January 2014 following impressive performances, with his father hinting at a promising professional path. Nevertheless, Stauskas later retracted those remarks and issued an apology to his supporters. Viewed as a potential late first-round selection, he delayed making a final choice to consult with his coaches and family members, intending to decide within a week after his college season concluded.

In early April, reports suggested that Stauskas had opted to pursue a professional career and signed with agent Mark Bartelstein—father of former teammate Josh Bartelstein and agent to Tim Hardaway Jr.—but Stauskas denied having reached a definitive decision at that point.

Sacramento Kings (2014–2015)

Selected eighth overall by the Sacramento Kings, Stauskas became Michigan’s highest draft pick since Jamal Crawford in 2000. Alongside fellow draftees McGary and Robinson, this marked Michigan’s first trio of draft selections since 1990. When combined with Burke and Hardaway from the previous year, all starters from Michigan’s 2013 NCAA Championship Game squad were drafted in either 2013 or 2014.

Stauskas participated in the Kings’ 2014 NBA Summer League squad and finalized his rookie scale contract on July 8, 2014. As a starter on the Summer League Champions team, he was recognized by peers as the second-best shooter among rookies behind Doug McDermott. During preseason activities, he attracted attention for comments regarding defensive challenges related to being both a rookie and white—a statement that caught him off guard given its reception.

Within his initial week in the league, Stauskas recorded three blocks in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. On December 8, he achieved personal bests with 15 points and eight rebounds facing Utah and former teammate Burke. He matched that scoring output again on March 3 against the New York Knicks and ex-Michigan teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. On March 24, an unofficial nickname "Sauce Castillo" emerged on social media due to a closed captioning error during broadcasts. Stauskas made his sole start of the season on April 15 versus the Los Angeles Lakers, where he contributed five assists.

Philadelphia 76ers (2015–2017)

On July 10, 2015, Stauskas was sent to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a trade package that included Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, a future first-round draft pick, and rights to swap picks in 2016 and 2017. In return, the team acquired the rights to Artūras Gudaitis and Luka Mitrović. During the preseason period, he was hindered by a stress reaction in his right tibia and was sidelined for the season opener on October 28 due to back spasms. Stauskas made his first appearance for Philadelphia on October 30 against the Utah Jazz, contributing 12 points. He secured a spot in the starting lineup on November 2 facing the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he matched his career-best with 15 points. On November 7, he recorded a personal best of 18 points and added five assists in a game versus the Orlando Magic.

On December 1, Stauskas played a key role in ending both the longest losing streak in major U.S. professional sports history at 28 games and the worst start in NBA history at 0–18, as the 76ers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 103–91. After sustaining an injury during overtime on January 15, 2016, he was sidelined for three games but returned on January 25 against the Boston Celtics. On March 18, he set a new personal scoring record by tallying 23 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Following the initial week of the 2016–17 NBA season, Philadelphia exercised their fourth-year team option on Stauskas’ contract. On November 19, 2016, he delivered an efficient performance with 21 points in a victory over the Phoenix Suns. He surpassed his previous career high by scoring 24 points on March 4 during a defeat to the Detroit Pistons. In March, Stauskas achieved consecutive games scoring at least 20 points for the first time in his NBA tenure against both the Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Brooklyn Nets (2017–2018)

On December 7, 2017, Stauskas was traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with Jahlil Okafor and a second-round pick for the 2019 draft in exchange for Trevor Booker. In his debut with Brooklyn on December 15, he led all scorers with 22 points despite a loss to the Toronto Raptors. Early in his tenure with the Nets, Stauskas shot an impressive 57.6% from beyond the arc (19-of-33). On December 27, he tied a Nets franchise record for bench players by making seven three-pointers (7-for-10) against the New Orleans Pelicans, marking a new personal best.

Portland Trail Blazers (2018–2019)

Stauskas signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on July 5, 2018. He made his debut on October 18, scoring a career-high-tying 24 points off the bench during a 128–119 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2019)

On February 4, 2019, Stauskas was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Wade Baldwin IV and two second-round draft selections in exchange for Rodney Hood. Just three days later, he became part of a three-team deal that sent him to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets subsequently traded him to the Indiana Pacers along with Baldwin, a 2021 second-round pick, and the rights to Maarty Leunen in return for cash considerations. The Pacers released Stauskas on February 8. He then rejoined the Cavaliers by signing again on February 11.

Baskonia (2019–2020)

On August 1, 2019, Stauskas inked a one-year deal with Spanish EuroLeague team Kirolbet Baskonia. The contract was mutually terminated on February 12, 2020.

Later, on December 3, 2020, Stauskas signed a training camp contract with the Milwaukee Bucks but was waived at the conclusion of camp.

Raptors 905 (2021)

Stauskas became part of the Raptors 905 roster for the 2020–21 season on January 27, 2021.

Grand Rapids Gold (2021)

On October 16, Stauskas agreed to a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Denver Nuggets but was released the same day. Subsequently, he joined the Grand Rapids Gold as an affiliate player.

Miami Heat (2021–2022)

Stauskas signed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat on December 31, 2021.

Return to Grand Rapids (2022)

Following the expiration of his 10-day contract, Stauskas returned to play for the Grand Rapids Gold. On March 1, 2022, he set a franchise record by scoring 57 points during a 131–127 victory over the Wisconsin Herd, marking the sixth-highest single-game scoring performance in NBA G League history and establishing a new G League record with 38 points in the first half. He started by making his first 12 shots, including a flawless 9-for-9 in the first quarter where he tallied 24 points—the second-highest scoring quarter with perfect shooting in league history. The following day, he scored 43 points against the Lakeland Magic, becoming only the second G League player to surpass 100 points across consecutive games and the first to do so on back-to-back nights. This feat coincided with the sixtieth anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. On March 8, 2022, Stauskas earned G League Player of the Week honors.

Boston Celtics (2022)

Stauskas signed a two-year contract with the Boston Celtics on March 4, 2022. He contributed to their run to the 2022 NBA Finals, where they were defeated in six games by the Golden State Warriors.

On July 9, 2022, Stauskas was traded alongside Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and a first-round pick in 2023 to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon. Five days later, he was waived by Indiana. His G-League rights, originally held by Grand Rapids Gold, were transferred to the College Park Skyhawks, who then traded those rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Stauskas participated in training camp under contract with Minnesota and was assigned to their affiliate team, the Iowa Wolves.

Following his tenure with Boston, Stauskas announced his retirement from professional basketball.[1]

National team career

Stauskas competed for Canada at the 2009 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship held in Argentina, playing a key role in earning a bronze medal and securing a spot at the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship. He posted an average of 9.4 points per contest, highlighted by a team-leading 21 points against the United States.

After enrolling in the NCAA in 2013, he briefly contemplated playing for Lithuania but ultimately chose to represent Canada. He participated in training camps with Canada's senior squad and took part in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, where he tallied 111 points across nine matches and converted 18 of 36 attempts from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, food poisoning impacted his performance during the semifinal clash with Venezuela and forced him to miss the bronze medal game, which Canada eventually won.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Sacramento | 73 || 1 || 15.4 || .365 || .322 || .859 || 1.2 || .9 || .3 || .2 || 4.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 73 || 35 || 24.8 || .385 || .326 || .771 || 2.5 || 1.9 || .6 || .3 || 8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 80 || 27 || 27.4 || .396 || .368 || .813 || 2.8 || 2.4 || .6 || .4 || 9.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 6 || 0 || 7.5 || .250 || .000 || 1.000 || .2 || .2 || .7 || .0 || .7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn | 35 || 0 || 13.7 || .393 || .404 || .704 || 1.8 || 1.1 || .1 || .1 || 5.1 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"|Portland | 44 || 0 || 15.3 || .419 || .344 || .889 || 1.8 || 1.4 || .3 || .1 || 6.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland | 24 || 0 || 14.3 || .367 || .429 || .893 || 2.0 || .8 || .3 || .1 || 5.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"|Miami | 2 || 0||12.0||.375|| .500||.750||1.5||.5||.0||.0||5.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" | Boston |6||0||2.5||.333||.333||.500||0||0.2||0||0||1.2 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |343||63||19.5||.389||.354||.812||2.0||1.5||.4||.2||6.7


Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2022 | style="text-align:left;" | Boston |13||0||1.8||.250||.300||1.000||0.3||0.3||0||0||1.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |13||0||1.8||.250||.300||1.000||0.3||0.3||0||0||1.0


EuroLeague

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2019–20 EuroLeague | style="text-align:left;" | Saski Baskonia |22||12||20.5||.415||.422||.781||2.1||1..6'||'.5'||'.2'||9..'||6..8' |- class="sortbottom" |'style='text-align:center;' colspan='2'|'Career |'22'||12'||20..'||'.415'||'.422'||'.781'||'2..1'||'1..6'||'.5'||'.2'||'9..'||'6..8'

College

|- 

| style="text-align:left;" | 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 
| style="text-align:left;" | 2012–13 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team 
| 39|||33|||30.5||| .463||| .440||| .851||| 3.0|||1.3|||.6||| .2|||11.0

|- 

| style="text-align:left;" | 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 
| style="text-align:left;" | 2013–14 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team 
|36|||36|||35.6|||.470|||.442||| .824|||2.9|||3.3|||.6|||.3|||17.5

|- class="sortbottom" 

|style="text-align:center;" colspan= "2"|Career 
|75|||69|||32.9|||.467||.441||.832||2.9||2.3||.6||.3||14.1


Personal life

Nik Stauskas is the son of Paul and Ruta Stauskas and has a brother named Peter. Prior to World War II, three of his four grandparents resided in Lithuania. He attended Lithuanian Saturday School in Toronto, where he developed some ability in the Lithuanian language. In 2016, Stauskas made his first trip to Lithuania.

See also

External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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