Raptors NBA draft: Kasparas Jakucionis seen as a ‘safe' pick if Toronto keeps its No. 9 selection
This is the 10th and final part in a series on prospects who could be drafted at No. 9 by the
Raptors
on June 25.
One of the difficulties of nailing NBA draft picks is the lack of experience each teenage selection has limits the information available.
A season, maybe two, at an American college hardly provides a long and detailed baseline, leaving teams to work mainly off their own projections.
It's not the case with guard
Kasparas Jakucioni
s, who brings more experience to the process than anyone else touted as a Top 10 selection.
Kasparas Jakucionis boasts an impressive combination of size (6'6"), toughness, pace, feel for the game, playmaking, and shot-making prowess. He's an outstanding pick-and-roll player who plays an intelligent and unselfish style, helping him transition from Europe to college.
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The just-turned 19-year-old has been in the Lithuanian national program, one of the best in the world. He spent two seasons with the vaunted Barcelona program, both in the junior development system and graduating to the EuroLeague senior team and the prestigious Spanish league. And for a taste of the style of play in North America, he's coming off a good year as the point guard
at Illinois
where he averaged 15.0 points, 4.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds on 44.0 per cent field goal shooting .
It's an impressive resume for a youngster sure to be on Toronto's radar heading into Wednesday's NBA draft.
'I like to go to challenges,' Jakucionis told ESPN during the run-up to the draft. '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.'
The time at Barcelona gave him a solid grounding in what expectations will come at the NBA level after working with Spanish league stars who have first-hand knowledge.
'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 has said.
The six-foot-five guard, a teammate of Kitchener's draft-destined
Will Riley at Illinois
, has a wealth of experience. Comparatively, that makes him one of the more well-rounded players in the top echelon of draft-eligible players.
Scouts see him as combo guard, comfortable running a team or playing off the ball. He's considered a creative player, a top-level passer who is a multiple-threat.
That may also been his downfall, though. The 200-pounder is good but not great at anything and whether he'll grow into a top-level NBA starter is debatable.
He fought an arm injury for most of his one season at Illinois and wasn't a great shooter — just 32 per cent from three-point range — and he has problems with turnovers, although they were chalked up to his over-creative style that NBA teams will temper.
Mock drafts
, for what they're worth, have Jakucionis right in the thick of consideration for Toronto and the ninth pick.
Whether the Raptors need another backcourt youngster who figures to be a backup to start his career is open to debate but with so much chatter churning about possible deals, taking Jakuciounis can't be totally discounted.
If some other transaction is going to rob Toronto some of its youth and depth, or if the No. 9 selection is in play in trade talks with teams that need backcourt players, Jakucionis might make sense.
What he is, according to reports about him, is a somewhat 'safe' pick, not overly athletic, not particularly blazingly quick or impressively strong.
But he's good, no question. And No. 9 picks aren't generally considered automatic starters or contributors and if the Raptors want to continue stockpile talented assets and seeing which one pops, there's a case made for him.
There is also a chance the team that takes Jakucionis will get an even more experienced rookie. He's going to get consideration to play for Lithuania at the late-summer EuroBasket because he's so highly-touted by the program.
'I firmly believe Kasparas is the most talented perimeter player and the second most talented guy overall we've had only behind Matas Buzelis,' said Augustas Suliauskas, an analyst with the website BasketNews. '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 NBA Finals winding up, the draft coming next week, free agency in the near future, the start of the FIBA senior season and the rest of the sports world ticking along.
Lots of fodder for Ye Olde Mailbag so send along any questions to
askdoug@thestar.ca
.
Our series on potential picks for the Raptors in the June draft.
The ship has sailed
Cooper Flagg
Dylan Harper
VJ Edgecombe
Could they fall?
Khaman Maluach
Tre Johnson
Kon Knueppel
In the range
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