Where Did Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis Land in Latest NBA Mock Draft?

Jakucionis has slipped on at least one expert's big board, but you might be surprised to learn how far

Feb 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives towards the basket as Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) defends during the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Illinois basketball’s season through 29 games can be characterized in the exact same manner as that of its premier talent, Kasparas Jakucionis:

Inconsistent.

Some nights, the Illini engineer a 109-77 demolition of then-No. 9 Oregon on the road. Others, the Illini fall meekly at home to a USC squad currently sitting in the bottom third of the Big Ten standings.

As for their star player, well, it’s more of the same.

Jakucionis may turn in a 20-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist performance in one outing (as he did against Northwestern), and the next time you check the box score he puts up a measly six points and zero assists while turning over the ball seven times (that would be the Wisconsin loss).

And it's not simply the numbers telling the story. Jakucionis, an 18-year-old freshman from Lithuania, has at times appeared to be entirely in control of a game, manipulating defenses with his eyes and ball fakes, showing elite footwork around the basket and knocking down high-level threes.

KJ is up to 20 points!

That's the new Illinois freshman record for most 20-point games in a season 👀

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/s4pKzvLUnb

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 9, 2025

Other times, though, he seems flustered, searching for whistles and committing baffling turnovers at an unprecedented rate before turning passive and disappearing into the corner.

Peak Jakucionis was on full display in the first half of the season. Amid Illinois' recent struggles, his flaws have appeared more prominent.

So what do evaluators at the next level make of the full Jakucionis package now that they have seen it?

In the eyes of at least one expert, Bleacher Report lead scout and NBA insider Jonathan Wasserman, little has changed.

In Wasserman's latest NBA mock draft, which was released on Tuesday, Jakucionis landed at seventh – slipping one spot from the previous iteration and two spots below Jackucionis' highest-ever slotting, at No. 5.

Wasserman pointed to Jakucionis’ recent woes, noting, “there are contests where he struggles to get himself shots and ball pressure can lead to turnovers.”

Nonetheless, given Jakucionis’ blend of skills, size (6-foot-6) and youth, Wasserman and fellow scouts all seem to be “agreeing on a top-10 projection.”

With two top-25 matchups on tap – including a prime-time slot on CBS for Sunday’s game against No. 15 Michigan – and the high stakes of March looming, Jakucionis will get a few more cracks at impressing NBA scouts and climbing up the ranks of NBA prospects.

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