Was Kasparas Jakucionis the steal of the draft?

"It's far too early to make any conclusions - good or bad - but general managers around the NBA predict that the 19-year-old was the steal of the 2025 NBA Draft. In the league's 24th annual general manager survey released Thursday, a league-high five executives voted for Jakucionis, drafted No. 20 overall, as the "biggest steal where he was selected in the draft.""

"I share a similar sentiment to those executives, as I had Jakucionis as the No. 7 player on my board entering June's draft. Other "steals" relative to value, in my opinion, were Rasheer Fleming (No. 31 overall), Jase Richardson (No. 25), NIque Clifford (No. 24), Ben Saraf (No. 26), Asa Newell (No. 23) and Thomas Sorber (No. 15), who will unfortunately miss his rookie season with a torn ACL."

"It's hard to not be excited for the Heat rookie, even if he spends most of season in Sioux Falls. His playmaking potential is tantalizing. Jakucionis has done nothing but show potential defensively, despite possessing limited foot speed (which he can improve). And if he fits that mold, the Heat have struck gold."

General managers in the NBA survey identified Kasparas Jakucionis, the 19-year-old No. 20 pick, as a top steal of the 2025 draft, with a league-high five executives naming him. Jakucionis averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game at Illinois while shooting 44.0 percent overall, 31.8 percent from three and 84.5 percent from the free-throw line. He projects as a high-level playmaker with strong positional size and a better shooting touch than percentages indicate. Evaluations note defensive potential, limited current foot speed that can improve, and the possibility of spending time in Sioux Falls.

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