Kasparas Jakucionis leads Illinois in pivotal conference victory against UCLA

In an extremely important game for conference positioning and an NCAA tournament bid, Kasparas Jakucionis led Illinois to a big victory against UCLA that showed why the point guard is so highly regarded among NBA circles.

The 6-foot-6 guard scored 24 points on 8-of-14 from the field, 3-of-8 from downtown and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also contributed eight rebounds, four assists and a steal in 37 minutes. He was extremely impressive getting to the basket despite UCLA's pressure as he was able to finish or get to the line and find teammates with his advanced passing ability.

The Fighting Illini led the Bruins for the vast majority of the game, but saw their 16-point lead cut to three with a minute remaining. With the shot clock winding down, Jakucionis knocked down an incredible off-balance stepback to make it a two-possession game with 38 seconds to go. Although it was counted as a two-pointer because his foot was on the line, this was a big-time shot for the Lithuanian and helped Illinois seal the game.

Projected to be one of the first selections in the 2025 NBA draft, Jakucionis possesses many qualities of a high-level lead guard at the next level. He has tremendous positional size coupled with distinct skill and underrated athleticism that is hard to come by. He is a three-level scorer as he uses his size and length to get to the rim and has shown an ability to make shots behind the arc off the dribble or off the catch. The freshman has a signature stepback three where he is able to stop on a dime and create separation for his shot.

One of the most impressive aspects of Jakucionis' game is his passing ability as his combination of size and vision makes him such a tough cover. Despite playing with aggression to score, he is incredible at finding the open man and makes reads that look to be steps ahead of the defense. Sometimes, this gets him into trouble as he tends to force too much and is extremely turnover prone as he averages 3.6 a game. The jumbo guard is also a good rebounder for his position, which opens up another dimension to his game.

Jakucionis currently averages 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and one steal per game on 47.5% from the field, 35% from three and 83.3% from the free throw line. Already having solidified himself as a top draft choice, he will look to continue to build his stock and lead Illinois to a potential NCAA Tournament berth.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.