Illinois’ Jakucionis Continues Making Top-Five NBA Draft Case

Illinois’ five-star guard Kasparas Jakucionis put up another strong performance on Tuesday night.

Nov 28, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives around Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (4) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Coming into the 2025 NBA Draft cycle, Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis was already on radars. But through his first handful of collegiate games, he’s looked like a bonafide future top-five pick.

At 6-foot-6, Jakucionis possesses an all-around skillset, able to score the ball, facilitate and do so much more from the starting point guard spot.

In a ranked-win over No. 20 Wisconsin Tuesday night, he showcased that very ability, scoring a team-high 24 points on 8-for-15 showing, adding six rebounds, five assists and a steal.

Even more, he continued to showcase his white-hot 3-point shooting, hitting on four of his eight attempts triples. Coming into the game against the Badgers, Jakucionis had shot 43% on 4.4 attempts per game from beyond the arc.

Jakucionis likely won’t need a strong scoring season to earn his way into the upper ranks of the draft, as a do-it-all jumbo guard is a coveted archetype in the NBA. But his scoring has bloomed of late, with him seeing 20-plus points in each of his last four games.

Per an earlier scouting report on the guard: “When it comes to scoring for himself, Jakucionis finishes well near the rim, though he is more of a finesse scorer in the paint than a power scorer. Ultimately, if Jakucionis can emerge as a dynamic scorer — along with his already impressive facilitation abilities —  he will be the perfect lead guard at the NBA level. “

Illinois will next take on No. 1 Tennessee in the team’s hardest test yet.

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