Mavericks Select European Star in Latest Mock Draft

The Mavericks pick up the Lithuanian shot-creator playing at Illinois in Bleacher Report's latest mock draft

Nov 4, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) takes the court with teammates in a game against the Easter Illinois Panthers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks have started 4-3, not even 10% of the way through the regular season yet, but it's never too early to check up on the latest mock drafts. Dallas is in the middle of a championship window, but Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson aren't getting any younger, so how they build around their star core in the future will be fascinating to watch.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman has released his latest two-round mock draft and has the Dallas Mavericks taking Kasparas Jakucionis with the 24th overall pick. Jakucionis is a 6'6" shot-creator from Lithuania playing for Illinois this season.

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Wasserman said of Jakucionis, "Coming off 19.4 points and 5.3 assists at the U18 European Championships, Kasparas Jokucionis arrives at Illinois with a lot of NBA scouts' attention. He should have a high-usage role handling the ball, which should allow him to fully showcase the impressive playmaking, change-of-speed dribble for attacking and promising shotmaking skill. Any skepticism with Jakucionis will be due to questions about his burst and shiftiness for separating and potential to effectively defend both guard spots."

Jakucionis scored 12 points in Illinois' exhibition game against Ole Miss and had 11 points, seven assists, and four rebounds in their regular season opener against Eastern Illinois.

Wasserman compared Jakucionis to current Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who is only on a one-year minimum contract, and they might need to replace his spot next season. Jakucionis is listed at 6'6" on Illinois' roster, and teams can't have enough ball-handlers with size these days.

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