Breakers majority owner Matt Walsh has confirmed Next Star Mantas Rubstavicius will make his first appearance for New Zealand in today’s NBLxNBA clash against the Utah Jazz.

Rubstavicius has been sidelined with a groin injury since pre-season, and has yet to take to the floor for last season’s runner-up.

“It will be nice to see Mantas out there, our Next Star,” Walsh said.

“He’s worked really hard to get back and this is kind of like a bonus for him to play.”

Rubstavicius’ teammates are excited to see him back on the floor after witnessing the hard work he’s put in to return.

“I know it’s been frustrating for him to be on the sidelines for a while, so a great chance for him to get some good run before coming back for Sunday’s game (against Melbourne),” Tom Abercrombie said.

“I’m super excited. I love his game, I didn’t really know what he had before I got to see him play the last couple of days but he’s really picked it up so it’s really good to see him play again,” new import signing Anthony Lamb added.

The Breakers enter the clash off the back of a 40-point loss to Portland on Wednesday.

New Zealand kept pace with the Trail Blazers until the final quarter, where a 22-point deficit blew the final score out to 106-66 in favour of the NBA side.

Former Breaker Rayan Rupert and ex-Illawarra Hawk Duop Reath both took to the floor for Portland in that game, while Parker Jackson-Cartwright top-scored with 19 points.

Today’s NBLxNBA clash between New Zealand and Utah can be seen live and free on Kayo Freebies.