Following a very impactful freshman season in Champaign, Kasparas Jakucionis will leave behind the University of Illinois for the 2025 NBA Draft. The Lithuanian sensation carved a name for himself with his all-around game, helping lead the Illinois Fighting Illini to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In doing so, he earned both freshman All-Big Ten and Third-Team All-Big Ten honors. Now he will take his versatility to the NBA.
Kasparas Jakucionis 2025 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Jakucionis kicked off a run of major international talent for the Fighting Illini. He came over from Europe after playing for FC Barcelona. The talent was there before he got to Illinois, and his name was already talked about as a future NBA talent. The minute he arrived on campus, he was seen as a leader and impact maker for the Illini. In Jakucionis’s debut, he recorded 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. From there, he continued to skyrocket and became a top option for the team. Despite missing two games midway through the season due to a wrist injury, the guard quickly became arguably the most important piece on the floor. He finished in double figures in his final six games for the Illini and averaged 15.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 4.7 APG across 33 outings.
Strengths
The biggest strength for Jakucionis is his height at the position he plays. He’s a big-bodied guard and can run the offense. At six-foot-six, he can certainly take advantage of smaller point guards. Not to mention, he can score at multiple levels. Jakucionis has no trouble driving and drawing contact. He also excels using ball screens. That allows him to drive and kick the ball out for a wide-open three. That is a major benefit and will translate well in the NBA, where three-point shooting is a must.
His size, skill set, and speed can make him hard to stop when he’s on point. Jakucionis also likes to hit defenders with a wicked step-back jumper. He isn’t afraid to get on the glass either. In his second-last game for Illinois, he nearly finished with a triple-double.
Weaknesses
There are some concerns for this talented Lithuanian. He can frustrate himself when he struggles to find his shot, which happened during the season’s midway point. He also tends to put himself in tough defensive situations, especially if he picks up cheap fouls early. That was a major issue for Illinois in some of their most important games.
Jakucionis has to keep himself on the court. The lack of floor time in Illinois’ game against Michigan State hurt the Illini. He only played nine minutes in that match, as he got in foul trouble early, and eventually fouled out without making a real impact. It might not be a true knock, but when Jakucionis gets frustrated, he doesn’t make wise choices defensively. In both games against the Spartans, Jakucionis struggled to be effective. Jaden Akins had him locked down, and he only scored a combined 20 points., While he scored 17 in the second meeting, much of that came at the free-throw line and from three. He shot 5-15 from the field.
If he didn’t have the right running mate on the floor, especially when the Illini had injury trouble in the post, he sometimes tried to play hero ball. The best way for Jakucionis to avoid these issues at the NBA level is not to rush into a challenging situation. He tended to drive himself into dicey situations and contributed to the end of Illinois’ season.
NBA Comparison
Jakucionis has all the potential in the world to be the next NBA foreign-born star. As long as he keeps himself healthy and doesn’t falter in the biggest moments, the 18-year-old can put himself into a starting role from day one. He’s even got a better projection than his NBA comps.
At his size, Jakucionis lines up with Max Christie or Austin Reaves. They started a little slow when they got to the NBA, not to mention one was a second-round pick and the other was undrafted. But both have turned into great all-around players. Kasparas might have a better early projection than both players, but they have proven to be important pieces for their respective teams. Like Christie and Reaves, Jakucionis can give you something in all facets of the game.
2025 NBA Draft Projection
Lottery pick.
Featured image: © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
