MUNICH (Germany) - It had been eight years since a Lithuanian player was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft when Matas Buzelis was selected 11th overall by Chicago Bulls last year. One year later, another Lithuanian prospect, Kasparas Jakucionis, could also hear his name called early on draft night.
With Buzelis earning NBA All-Rookie Second Team after a solid debut season in Chicago, Jakucionis' selection would not only keep the streak alive — it could mark the start of a new generation in Lithuanian basketball.
Jakucionis began standing out in the Lithuanian basketball youth ranks as early as 2020, when he was playing for the basketball academy SKM in his hometown of Vilnius. He would go on to join Rytas Vilnius - one of the country's premier talent pipelines - before taking the leap to Spain by joining Barcelona's youth team in 2021.
"I like to go to challenges," Jakucionis recalled in a recent interview with ESPN's Jonathan Givony. "That's why I moved to Barcelona when I just turned 15 because I thought that it would help me grow a lot more as a basketball player and as a person."
"Jakucionis is the best guard prospect we've had since both Sarunas — Marciulionis and Jasikevicius. " - Augustas Suliauskas, basketball analyst for BasketNews
Jakucionis saw early success in his career both for Barcelona and the Lithuanian youth national teams, as he was one of the key players in Lithuania's title run at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022. This is where Javier Molero, a Spanish basketball journalist who works for Eurohoops, first identified him as a standout prospect.
"He was at a different level than his competition whenever he was on the floor," Molero recalls. "That ability to move through screens, make the best possible play, and improve everything he touches made him unique."
Despite his role on Lithuania's U16 gold medal team, Kasparas wasn't selected to the tournament's All-Star Five, and his stat line—34.9 percent from the field, 57.1 percent from the free-throw line, and 2.4 turnovers per game—made it clear there were areas to improve. That's exactly what he did over the next two years at Barcelona, where he quickly emerged as one of the best prospects in Europe.
"He developed his ability to absorb contact," Molero notes. "Little by little, he started getting stronger, and with that, he improved his ability to get to the rim—whether it's to finish with layups, hit 10–12 foot shots, or kick the ball out to the corner, taking advantage of the attention he generates as a slasher."
His improvement was evident in youth competitions over the following years. He was named MVP of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague in Zadar in 2023, and followed that with standout performances at the L'Hospitalet Tournament later that year and the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in early 2024.
In the meantime, Kasparas was also getting some reps with the senior team. Even if his actual playing time with Barcelona's first team was limited, the experience seems to have been a meaningful part of his development.
"Just the experience of working out with pros… Ricky Rubio, Jabari Parker—a lot of ex-NBA guys who were on my team. Just getting advice from them and being with them every day just makes you better overall. You can ask them questions, so you can improve a lot more." Jakucionis recalled in a recent interview with The Deep 3 podcast.
That improvement was on full display during his performance at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket in 2024, where he averaged 19.4 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the field — a far cry from his numbers at the U16 level just two years earlier.
Jakucionis' development was being closely monitored by teams around the globe, and ahead of the 2024–25 season, he considered offers from clubs in both Europe and Australia before ultimately deciding to take the college route and commit to Illinois.
During his freshman season, Jakucionis quickly established himself as a key piece for an Illinois team that remained ranked in the top 25 for most of the year.
"Kasparas was put in a unique situation. He had the ball in his hands all the time, and he led the team in minutes per game as a freshman, so yes turnovers and mistakes happened," explains Sahil Mittal, the Assistant Sports Editor for The Daily Illini. "Coach Underwood wanted him to play through those mistakes in order to grow. He showed a lot of trust in Kasparas by handing him the keys to the offense."
Kasparas impressed during the early stretch of the season with his shotmaking and playmaking for others. But as the year went on, fatigue seemed to kick in, and he began to struggle with efficiency—shooting 35.6 percent from the field, 24.5 percent from three, and averaging 4 turnovers per game over the final ten games of the season.
The transition to college basketball involved not only his on-court skills but also the mental side of the game. "What impressed me the most from Kasparas this season was his maturity at such a young age," Mittal observes.
"Throughout the year, he never shied away from taking credit for his own mistakes. In fact, he always owned up to how he played when things didn't go well. Even when he had great games, Kasparas would still find things that he could improve on."
His coach, Brad Underwood, recognized Kasparas' drive to improve—but also reminded him that self-criticism has its limits. "He's a perfectionist; he wants to be perfect all the time. That's a great quality. But sometimes you've just gotta say, 'What the heck' and move on," Underwood said to the press after a February loss to Rutgers.
"We believe in him, we love him to death, he's one of the best players in the country," Underwood added, before describing the ways he tried to boost the Lithuanian guard's confidence.
"You don't worry about a streak, you don't worry about a good game or a bad game. You just have to find a way to learn from the past and mistakes – but live in the moment. That's what we're talking to him about."
Through the highs and lows of his freshman season at Illinois, it's clear that Jakucionis' performance helped open the door to international recruiting for the program. Returning Croatian center Tomislav Ivisic, will be joined next season by his twin brother Zvonimir, along with Serbian passing virtuoso Mihailo Petrovic, Montenegrin scoring forward David Mirkovic, and Greek-Serbian versatile wing Andrej Stokakovic.
"Recruiting internationally gives Illinois experienced players that usually have more developed on-court skills and more poise, which is becoming a competitive advantage for the Illini," explains Mittal. "Kasparas solidifying himself as a lottery pick and Tomislav having an extremely strong year definitely have played a role in Illinois attracting additional European talent.
Both of them having very strong seasons on the court shows that Illinois is capable of developing international talent and giving them the tools to succeed."
On the other side of the Atlantic, national federations and teams are grappling with the trade-off posed by the exodus of young talent to the U.S.
"For Lithuania, it means that we have way fewer talented young players in our top division. That's the downside of players flooding the NCAA," explains Augustas Suliauskas, a Lithuanian basketball analyst for BasketNews, before finding a silver lining. "But I believe those players have a higher chance of coming back later in their careers as better players, strengthening the league and the National Team."
This seems to be the case with Jakucionis, who, according to Lithuanian media, recently met with Linas Kleiza, as the General Manager of the Lithuanian National Team begins rounding up the roster ahead of FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
"I firmly believe Kasparas is the most talented perimeter player and the second most talented guy overall we've had only behind Matas Buzelis," observes Suliauskas, underscoring the high expectations for him in his home country. "I even think Jakucionis is the best guard prospect we've had since both Sarunas — Marciulionis and Jasikevicius. Two big names, but I expect huge things from Kasparas."
The talent is certainly there, but how exactly does Jakucionis fit in a new generation of Lithuanian talent that seems deep in the frontcourt with names like Buzelis, Azuolas Tubelis, Paulius Murauskas and Motiejus Krivas?
"Lithuania has a tradition of developing powerful scoring bigs and three-point shooting specialists, but has struggled at the point guard position, not finding young talent beyond Rokas Jokubaitis," Molero explains, before concluding: "Jakucionis fits perfectly in this new generation. For Lithuania to get a point guard with Kasparas' characteristics is sensational."
"Lithuania will finally have a guard that's both creative and can shoot off the dribble, someone that can create for others, but also for himself," says Suliauskas when asked about those traits. "His mix of size for position, quickness in changing directions, passing creativity, and shooting from perimeter is something Lithuania haven't seen for a long time."
"We believe in him, we love him to death, he's one of the best players in the country." - Brad Underwood, Illinois Head Coach
The question, then, seems to be when — not if — Jakucionis will make an impact for Lithuania. For Underwood, however, that's not even a question. "He was ready last summer, this summer… any time he wants to be," said Underwood, when asked about Jakucionis' readiness to join the senior national team. "He's going to hold his own no matter who he's going up against."
Before potentially earning a spot on Lithuania's FIBA EuroBasket roster, Jakucionis will enter the NBA Draft on June 25, where the Lithuanian guard is projected by multiple outlets to be selected in the first round.
"Jakucionis has a strong combination of playmaking feel and shooting touch for a 6'6" ball handler," says Roshan Potluri, scout for Swish Theory and the Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA G League. "What makes him intriguing as a first-round prospect is that he was productive as Illinois' primary ball handler despite being a teenager."
Jakucionis has mentioned jumbo-sized point guards such as Luka Doncic, Nick Calathes, and Andrew Nembhard as basketball influences. The mold of a player who has the size to play small forward, the vision to operate as a point guard, and the skills to create his own shot is something that could prove valuable for NBA teams.
"Jakucionis has always been a mismatch," says Molero. "His impact at the NBA level will come as a lead ball-handler, likely coming off the bench, and adapting to a wing initiator role. Any team will value his intelligence and unselfishness when it comes to decision-making. He knows how to pass the ball — and that's not something that everyone has".
However, before he can do that at a high level on an NBA floor, scouts note that further development will be necessary.
"Jakucionis has challenges athletically, he is ground-bound and does not possess outlier burst. This is also emphasized by his handle limitations where he has a knack for turning the ball over," says Potluri.
Mittal, meanwhile, envisions a potential avenue for success at the NBA level: "When he cuts down the turnovers, Kasparas' ability to score and create for others is very impressive for such a young player. Combine that with his fearless play, and he has the building blocks to become a high-level NBA talent. It will take time to reach his ceiling, but the potential is definitely there."
From his early years in Lithuania, to his stint in Spain, to opening the door for international recruiting at Illinois, everything has prepared Jakucionis for the next step. And when asked about his future in the NBA Draft, he looks back at his early career in Europe, where it all began.
"Jabari Parker said ‘Be Like Water' — fit in everything, be adaptable, be flexible in every situation," Jakucionis said on The Deep 3 Podcast, when asked about the best piece of advice he received in his young career. "Going into the NBA, making that transition, obviously you don't know where you're going to get drafted and you don't know what the situation is going to be like… Your versatility is something that you can really focus on."
"Any situation and whatever the team needs me to do to win — I can do. I'll just do my best, give my effort on both ends of the floor and be the best version of myself."
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