Is This Lithuanian Guard the Toronto Raptors’ Missing Piece?

For the final installment of the RaptorsHQ’s Draft Watch scouting report, we look into the viability of bringing in Kasparas Jakucionis, a pick-and-roll maestro that the Raptors haven’t had since the GROAT left.

Brad Underwood and his Fighting Illini looked like they were poised for a rebuilding year this past season after losing key players in Quincy Guerrier (Raptors 905!), Terrence Shannon Jr., and Justin Harmon, among others. However, they quickly bounced back with the addition of Will Riley, Tomislav Ivisic, Kylan Boswell, and our main feature, Kasparas Jakucionis.

Measured at the NBA Draft Combine at 6’4.75” tall (without shoes) with a 6’7.75” wingspan, Jakucionis has a favourable size relative to his projected position (point guard/combo guard) at the NBA level. The Lithuanian floor general compiled a healthy amount of nifty assists, smoothly getting to his spots and leveraging his handle and craftiness to finish with either hand at the rim.

In 33 games, Jakucionis netted 15 points, 5.7 boards, and 4.7 dimes, helping Illinois to a 22-13 season, despite an injury and illness-riddled season. They made it to March Madness but were eliminated by Kentucky in the Round of 32. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but despite the praise we’ve mentioned above, Jakucionis has had shaky games, such as his performance against Kentucky, spread out throughout the season. That’s why he’s projected to go in the mid-to-late lottery instead of the top half of the lottery.

Mock Draft Range

Best rank: 8 / Worst rank: 16

(Per Hoopshype’s Aggregate Mock Draft 7.0)

Jak of All Trades

Kasparas Jakucionis demonstrated that he wasn’t just an experimental Euro import at the collegiate level; he was a foundational piece for Illinois, which had to rebuild its roster from scratch due to massive roster turnover. Jakucionis was everywhere offensively — he was orchestrating half-court sets, dicing the pick-and-roll defense, getting in the teeth of the defense, manipulating several defenders to finish at the rim or put up a floater, crashing the boards, running the transition, playing off-ball as a play finisher, pick a spot; and he’s got utility there with or without the ball.

Jakucionis is a jumbo guard who can orchestrate a half-court offense with surgical calm. He’s always surveying, using his smarts, unselfishness, and NBA-ready game to his advantage on the offensive end. Jakucionis excels in pick-and-roll manipulation — he wouldn’t step on the gas and explode to the basket like fast-twitch guards using picks. Instead, he will manipulate defenders with his array of tight hang or hesi dribbles, along with misdirection and changes of direction, or generate an advantage for himself or his roll man.

Did I say Jakucionis is unselfish? Unlike some of the ball-dominant guards in this draft, he’s much more willing to give up the ball to let the offense go through his teammates, whether running a set play off Ivisic or letting Will Riley or Kylan Boswell playmake. In this situation, he’s much more willing to be the play finisher, whether he’s executing a catch-and-shoot from the perimeter or getting the pass as he cuts to the basket. Better yet, he can facilitate as a Ginobli-esque connector.

Jakucionis is also tough as a nail. He played heavy minutes as a freshman, playing 32 minutes per game — could have been higher if not for a few blowout games and some games where he found himself in foul trouble. He has shown a willingness to initiate contact in his drives to the basket and is strong enough to finish through contact, avoiding physical play around the rim. Jakucionis rebounds well for his size — he’s willing to battle for board positioning and fights for 50/50 balls. Most of all, he’s mentally tough. He’s not going to let a bad shooting game affect him, and he will even find ways to contribute in other ways.

Jakucionis’ shooting looks compact and repeatable, and he has made timely shots from the perimeter and in the midrange, with some of them coming under pressure. He’s willing to absorb contact on his forays to the basket, grift for trips to the free throw line, and has a budding NBA-ready flop game. Having Jakacionis on the floor adds more dimension and versatility to an offense, thanks to his IQ, playmaking, and ability to be on or off the ball.

Jak and Chill

Turnovers have plagued Kasparas Jakucionis even before landing in Illinois. His 3.6 turnovers per game led the Big Ten in giveaways. We can pretty much dissect the types of turnovers that he makes in a game:

• Physicality: Jakucionis appears to struggle under pressure with physicality, especially if he’s not the one initiating it, and particularly against a lengthy defender who can stay in front of him.
• Careless/Reckless: Sometimes, Jakucionis has the right idea, but it is poorly executed or makes flat-out, inexcusable, telegraphed passes. Or it could be an aggressive but high-risk pass or creation attempt (going downhill too fast or getting in trouble trying to get past multiple defenders).
• Collaboration: There are times when Jakucionis will make advanced passes, but either the recipient failed to “meet” the ball where Jak is leading the player on, or it was a “good pass, wrong recipient” situation.
• Grenade Diffusion: Illinois would often turn to Jakucionis whenever their half-court offense hit a wall, leaving him with ample time to manufacture a shot. His hesitation to take an available shot sometimes leads to overdribbling as he waits for an opening, which can box him into bad shots or, worse, turnovers.

Jakucionis’ athleticism is average at best, but the lack of explosiveness (whether vertical or horizontal pop) hurts his game. Offensively, if he can’t use his handle to create a pseudo-first step, he often gets in trouble against defenders who can keep up with him. Defensively, his lack of burst affects his lateral quickness and ability to recover from blow-bys and back cuts.

While I commended Jakucionis’ shooting form above, the stats say otherwise. He finished his freshman year with a 31.8% shooting from behind the arc. There was a point in the season when he was shooting well from the perimeter — 41% pre-wrist injury and 24% the rest of the way. Additionally, he had to diffuse several grenades throughout the game, which negatively impacted his shooting efficiency on the floor.

Raptors Fit

With the acquisition of Brandon Ingram, the team is signalling a transition in its direction to a win-now mode. However, they are still in the process of building a system, and that’s where Kasparas Jakucionis comes into the equation: a versatile high-IQ secondary creator who can grow into either the team’s starting point guard or a high-level combo guard. His rebounding enables him to grab the board and initiate the fast break, which is a staple of Coach Darko Rajakovic’s transition game.

Jakucionis’ passing and size give him value even if his shot isn’t falling. The Raptors lacked consistent (and high-level) pick-and-roll offense creation since the GROAT Kyle Lowry’s departure. Jakob Poeltl would love to play with him (Jak and Jak?) while he can make Ulrich Chomche a passable NBA big in this scenario. His ability to handle, utilize live balls, and change pace and direction to freeze his defender and create an advantage is at the pro level.

Off the ball, I expect Jakucionis to hit his perimeter shots at a decent clip; he won’t be put in many grenade-diffusing scenarios, unlike in Illinois. Additionally, his ability to move off the ball as a play finisher or as a connector aligns with the ball-and-player movement-heavy offense that Coach Rajakovic preaches.

Overall, Jakucionis shows the tantalizing blend of his size, versatility, playmaking, toughness, and feel for the game. However, he can be a live ball creator who can fumble the ball in certain situations. His issues aren’t catastrophic for someone with his talent; instead, it’s something that can be deemed as polish-worthy. Whichever team sees this and polishes his game the right way could potentially get a top 5 talent in this draft. Let’s not forget that Jakacionis just turned 19 recently, and he’s already this skilled and NBA-ready. He’s nowhere near a finished product, and that’s the scary part.