[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2025 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Kasparas Jakučionis
Frame: 6’6 “, 200 lbs
Position: Guard
School: Illinois Fighting Illini
2025 Draft Age: 19
Stats via sports-reference.com

Offense

Jakučionis is a jumbo lead guard with great positional size and high-level court vision. As a freshman, he has a strong feel for the game after playing professionally overseas in Lithuania for several years. His offensive splits hover around 46 percent from the field, 34 percent from behind the three-point line, and 82 percent from the free-throw line. Jakučionis is the engine that makes the Fighting Illini offense go.

Even though he is the point guard on this team, Jakučionis is more of a methodical player attempting to pick apart defenses rather than flashing out and pushing the fast break. He can push pace when necessary but is much more comfortable in a designed play, making reads off of his defender to get his teammates open or attack a vulnerability when he spots it. Per Synergy Sports, almost 87 percent of possessions Jakučionis is a part of are from half-court sets or out-of-bounds plays. The 13 percent from fast break looks, Jakučionis converts the remaining 13 percent from fast-break looks at a high rate based on points per possession data ranking in the top-30 percentile.

Jakučionis can also rise and use his height to shoot over shorter defenders in the flow of an offense. His speed, strength, and footwork allow him to impact the game at his own pace, trying never to get sped up or be too slow on the court. He can be prone to dribbling a bit high occasionally, exposing the ball, but his ability to dance with defenders and maintain ball control gives him more wiggle room than a player with less ball skills. Jakučionis does much of his damage heading downhill toward the basket for layups but also has a very compact and smooth shooting motion.

Jakučionis’ decision-making and overall feel for the game have helped his name climb up draft boards. Though he’s hit the freshman wall in more recent games, he can still contribute in other ways that impact the game for his team. His court vision and passing are the skills that will translate the quickest, continue to grow, and allow his IQ to shine through as he becomes even more in tune with the game.

 

Defense

Jakučionis is currently averaging 1.04 steals per game, likely due to his active hands, disruptive length, and ability to understand the game at a high level in real time and act on it. As he continues to fill out his frame and get stronger, he should become more aggressive in jumping passing lanes and initiating offense off a steal. He doesn’t have elite athleticism, but his timing has helped him block some shots thus far this season. If he can better anticipate when his assignment is planning to rise, Jakučionis’ blocks should also increase.

His defensive instincts and timing still need improvement, but Jakučionis rebounds at a high rate for his position. Questions remain about his foot speed and ability to stay with quicker and stronger offensive assignments. How Jakučionis reacts to screens will also be interesting to watch. He currently attempts to fight over screens set by stronger bigs, but he doesn’t fully anticipate and react before the screener is set so he doesn’t continue to get caught and delayed in his assignment.

Looking Ahead

Jakučionis has skyrocketed up draft boards and will likely be a lottery pick. Before conference games in the Big Ten, his name was mentioned as a possible top-five pick, but his game has come back down to earth a bit, and he will probably now dip to the back end of the lottery. His ability to process the game in real-time on the court and see rotations before they develop allows him to feast at times in driving or passing lanes.

His basketball IQ, height, and passing ability will get him minutes early. As he continues to develop his defensive instincts, add strength to his frame, and get reps up shooting from distance, Jakučionis will become a more complete player over his time in the league. He won’t be given the reins of a team immediately and may best be suited as an off-ball secondary ball handler and initiator long term. Jakučionis’ game is fundamentally sound, and with that foundation to continue building on, he can become a force in the NBA.