Overall, Kasparas Jakučionis fills a role of dire positional need when and if Anfernee Simons is traded: that of a plug-and-play bench option capable of hitting the big shot in crunch time or facilitating the downhill game for which the Portland Trail Blazers have come to be known. He’ll be just a hair over 19 years old on draft night, so there’s plenty of room for improvement to a rock-solid foundation.
Just a few short months ago, Jakučionis was seen as a player in the same tier that included names such as Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and V.J. Edgecombe. Coming over from Lithuania to play college ball at the University of Illinois, Kasparas wasn’t an overhyped prospect by any means, and he shocked draft pundits during a ten-game stretch early in the season where he averaged 20.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 5.1 rebounds on 51/46/90 shooting splits. Later, he shifted closer to “traditional point guard,” and his assist numbers rose while his scoring dipped.
Jakučionis and teammate Will Riley appeared to have a Freaky Friday-esque swap in mid-season; just as Jaku’s prominence was waning, Riley’s was rising. With that said, the Illini’s attack was a balanced one; Illinois was just one of two NCAA teams whose entire starting five averaged double figures. It’s the mark of a great system and floor general to allocate such a balanced attack in a college setting.
Jakučionis offers the perfect skillset to replace Simons
In spite of these raw stats, Jaku’s size is one of the most enticing bits to the Blazers. Standing at 6’6” in shoes with a 6’8” wingspan, Jakučionis can slot in at either guard position or even at the three in smaller lineups. His body of work seems to back up this positional versatility—he’s a plug-and-play guy who can act as a lead distributor, a spot-up shooter, and a glass cleaner as needed. As the Blazers are flush with young talent at every position, it makes sense to have Jakučionis waiting in the wings as a super-sub.
Defensively, Jakučionis sits squarely in the middle; he’s not a great defender, but he won’t be played off the court because of it, either. He has the length to disrupt passing lanes and play his guy close without getting outworked. At the combine, Jakučionis posted average numbers in nearly all agility drills; however, he finished ninth in the shuttle run drill, indicating he won’t be blown by without some difficulty.
Without a doubt, Jaku’s bread and butter is his outside shot; while his shooting percentages dipped a bit as the season played out, he still shot 84.5 percent on free throws on 5.1 attempts per game. Part of the reason Jaku’s percentages dipped a bit was his reliance on stepbacks and other tough shots—as scouting caught up with him, his adjustments were somewhat questionable.
However, the shot diet passes the eye test; the film makes it look like every shot is going in. The form is pure, the shots scrape the rafters, and he knows how to work the angles. Defenders were ready for him, something he won’t have to worry about as much in the pros and with a stronger supporting cast.
Any pick in this range is not without its downsides, and Jakučionis is no exception. While he is good at many things, he's not particularly great at any of them. His assist numbers are stellar, but the turnovers are not, giving up 3.7 of them per game. Part of that is due to his playstyle, but some of it is attributed to his high dribble that opens him up to active-handed defense.
He will never be the quickest guard out there, which limits his ability to create space when playing off-ball, but on day one in the NBA, he won't be in the bottom half of any of these negative statistics, and he can cut his teeth on the bench until he's ready for a more prominent role.