By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After one NCAA season with Illinois, Lithuanian combo guard Kasparas Jakucionis declared for the 2025 NBA draft.
“This has been my dream from a young age,” he told ESPN, revealing his decision on Monday.
“Saying goodbye to Illinois will be the hardest part,” he mentioned after averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game over 33 appearances with the Fighting Illini, “My goal now is to work as hard as I can, and be the best version of myself.”
Depending on more developments heading to the draft, 18-year-old Jakucionis can also debut with the senior national team of Lithuania during the offseason. He is among the potential options for head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis, heading to the EuroBasket 2025. At the junior level, he went from gold in the 2022 FIBA U16 European Championship to playing in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the U18 European Championships.
“Luka Doncic is the main player I study in terms of how he reads the game,” he started inspirations from the Slovenian sensation, “I watch the NBA of course, how guards are attacking each other, defensive adjustments and pick-and-roll reads. I also watch a lot of EuroLeague and ACB, trying to follow my former teammates in Barcelona. For passing, I like to study Nick Calathes and Kostas Sloukas. The IQ level in the EuroLeague is incredible.”
The native of Vilnius left Lithuania at age 15 to join FC Barcelona. After reaching the senior team, earning a brief introduction to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and Spain’s Liga Endesa, he moved his talents to Illinois for the 2024-25 campaign. In 2025-26, he is widely expected to gear up for the NBA.
“I wanted to be closer to American basketball,” he shared with ESPN, explaining how he chose college basketball over further development in Europe, “The academic side is very important for me and my family. And of course, for the NBA, it helps. The competition in college is extremely high level. Every game and detail matters. You’re competing against the best young players in the world.”
“The facilities at Illinois are incredible in terms of player development, weight room, recovery and staff. These are the best conditions in the world. I grew a lot as a player and person, seeing a different culture and different style of basketball. I’m happy I chose the college route and got to be a part of the Illinois program. I would tell any young player in Europe, as long as you aren’t scared, and if you want to get tougher, you should pick the U.S. route,” added Jakucionis.
The next NBA draft will take place on June 25 and 26.