The Portland Trail Blazers' young core is finding some much-needed balance in 2025.
Portland's backcourt duo of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe have played well, flashing the All-Star potential that made them former top-ten picks.
Meanwhile, the wing duo of Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara have been outstanding and arguably their most consistent players as of late. Avdija, in particular, has made a drastic leap after a slow start with his new team.
Donovan Clingan has been impactful in limited minutes, living up to what Blazers fans expected when Portland drafted him as a dominant interior presence that provides elite rebounding and rim protection.
A future starting five is starting to emerge in Portland. But their young core still has a few key weaknesses, including playmaking, shooting, and definitive star talent. Hopefully, that gets addressed in the offseason, with the 2025 NBA Draft being their best opportunity to do so.
Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis should already be on the Blazers’ radar
College basketball expert John Fanta joined Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor on the Kevin O'Connor Show, discussing various college basketball topics. The most intriguing one for Blazers fans pertained to who KOC believed could potentially overtake Rutgers guard Dylan Harper as the No. 2 overall pick after Cooper Flagg.
The name O'Connor brings up is Illinois freshman Kasparas Jakucionis.
"He reminds me of Tyrese Haliburton. There's just an incredible creativity with him as a playmaker. A feel for the game. The pace he plays with out of pick and roll is very Hailiburton-esque from his underclassman years at Iowa State, where the feel is going to just translate. The Haliburton questions at the time were: Can he handle? Is he quick enough? Is he athletic enough? I think with Jakucionis, the feel is overwhelming," said O'Connor.
Fanta echoed that sentiment, mentioning his pro-readiness, given his professional experience overseas with FC Barcelona and collegiate production. This season, the 6-foot-6 guard is averaging a well-rounded 16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 48/37/86 shooting splits.
Portland should strongly consider selecting the Lithuanian if he's available when they are on the clock. He is one of several intriguing prospects in what is expected to be a strong draft class and is projected to be at least a top-ten pick.
At this rate, he could even land in the top five, and there's a possibility that he's off the board before Portland even has a chance to snag him. The Blazers currently have the seventh-worst record in the league at 19-29, which would give them just a 31.9 percent chance of having a top-four selection.
He could be a potential replacement for Anfernee Simons as another combo guard who is younger, cheaper, and has a higher ceiling. His 6-foot-6 frame also makes him a more natural fit to spell both Henderson and Sharpe.
With that young trio, Portland would hopefully be set in the backcourt for the next decade. And one of them could emerge as their much-needed All-Star solution.