With Doncic gone and Irving injured, the only playmakers under contract who will be available for next season are Brandon Williams and Jaden Hardy. That’s not good enough for a team hoping to contend.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has the Mavericks selecting 6’6″ Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis in the lottery of the 2025 NBA Draft.
“Kasparas Jakucionis struggled to make shots in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, though shotmaking isn’t a major concern. There is currently both optimism and debate about how much his positional size, clever maneuvering, shooting skill and passing IQ can offset his lack of explosiveness and quickness.
“In some games, he looks in complete control with his pacing and ability to hit tough step-backs and body-controlled finishes. And then there are contests in which he struggles to get himself quality looks, and ball pressure can lead to turnovers.
“Regardless, for a 6’6” 18-year-old, his production, lead-guard creativity, off-ball versatility, and late-game execution have scouts agreeing on a top-10 projection.
“Too much recent evidence suggests skill and IQ can outweigh athletic limitations for a ball-handler, particularly for a plus shooter. And despite a recent slump from behind the arc, there are years of promising shotmaking data/tape for scouts to go back to from Jakucionis’ time with Barcelona and Lithuania.”
Wasserman also compares Jakucionis to Chicago Bulls guard Coby White. If the Mavericks could land a Coby White-type player in the late lottery, that would be huge for them.
However, Jakucionis may not fit Nico Harrison’s “Defense wins championships mentality,” and he’s not a good enough shooter out of the gates to heavily impact the Mavericks. It would also feel like the Mavs taking Jakucionis would be a cheap cop-out to try and make up for losing Doncic, which it won’t.