Get to know Kasparas Jakucionis
Kasparas Jakucionis sits down with Andy Katz to discuss this year's NBA Draft and what he brings to the table.
Overview
Born in Lithuania, Kasparas Jakučionis began playing basketball in the country’s youth leagues before joining FC Barcelona. He played for the youth team, the U18 team and the main team from 2022 through 2025. In 2022, he won gold at the U16 Euro Championship A. Jakučionis was named Zadar Tournament (ANGT) MVP in 2023 and Belgrade (NIJT) MVP in 2024. In the summer of 2024, he committed to playing college basketball for Illinois. As a one-and-done freshman, Jakučionis played 31.9 minutes per game and averaged 15.0 points on 44/32/85 shooting, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and the All-Big Ten Third Team.
Analysis
Jakučionis is an adept playmaker capable of scoring or passing from anywhere on the floor. At 6-foot-6 with good footwork, feel for the game and shooting touch, he can play many roles, including that of a primary playmaker. He easily sets up his teammates, threading the needle for easy scoring opportunities. Despite not being an elite athlete, Jakučionis can also create his shot with quality dribbling, hesitation moves and a developing stepback jumper. His understanding of angles and advantages allowed him to average 5.1 free throw attempts per game. On defense, he isn’t elite but is solid enough to thrive in a scheme.
Quotable
“It’s really fun to play with KJ. He has a really, really great knack for finding shooters when they’re open. If you watch him, he does a really great job of manipulating the defense with his eyes. When you’re with KJ, it’s just always staying ready – ready to shoot.” — Illinois teammate Ben Humrichous
Some stats & tidbits
At the age of 16 years, 10 months and 18 days, Jakučionis became the third-youngest player to compete for FC Barcelona in the ACB (April 19, 2023) … Grew up playing for Perlas Vilnius in his native Lithuania before joining FC Barcelona in 2022-23 … Led Illinois in scoring (15.0 ppg) and assists (4.7 apg) and was third in rebounding (5.7 rpg) … Tied the Illini freshman record for total points with 494 … Favorite NBA players are Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Projection
Jakučionis projects as a combo guard in the NBA, though one who may be more comfortable as a passer than a scorer out of the gate. That gives him a high floor as a potential sixth man early on, if not a starter. In terms of play style, he shares similarities with players like Austin Reaves and Goran Dragic.
— Profile by RotoWire.com