Potential top-5 pick gives Illinois bragging rights with ice cold shot
Today at 08:49 PM
The Illinois Fighting Illini have been a pretty solid team so far this season with an 8-3 record. A big part of Illinois solid start to the 2024-25 season has been the addition of freshman wing Kasparas Jakucionis. Kasparas Jakucionis is considered by some to be a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he added to his intrigue with a cold shot that ended up giving Illinois the win over Missouri.
With Illinois tied at 77 with Missouri in the waning seconds of the second half, Kasparas Jakucionis hit a fadeaway jumper with 29.4 seconds remaining that ultimately ended up being the game-winner. The Fighting Illini improved to 8-3 with the win and handed Missouri only their second loss of the season.
There are three consensus names that have popped up when talking about the top 2025 NBA Draft prospects. Those players are Duke's Cooper Flagg and the Rutgers duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. But Kasparas Jakucionis is staking a claim of his own to be selected in the lottery, and potentially in the top-five.
The freshman wing from Lithuania had appeared in all ten games for Illinois coming into Sunday's matchup with Missouri, at a little over 32 minutes per game. He's been averaging 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals with splits of 46.9 percent shooting from the field, 42 percent shooting from the three-point line and 84.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Jakucionis is Illinois' leading scorer, top assist player and their best three-point shooter. Against Missouri, he finished with a game-high 21 points, two rebounds, four assists and one steal. He shot 5-of-11 from the field, 3-of-7 from the three-point line and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Along with Kasparas Jakucionis' teammate Will Riley, the Fighting Illini could have two players selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Illinois' next game is against Chicago State on Dec. 29.
The post Potential top-5 pick gives Illinois bragging rights with ice cold shot appeared first on ClutchPoints.
