The Houston Rockets are expected to land security guards compared to one of the already-best in the NBA.
The Houston Rockets will already be added to the elite younger core with their 10th overall pick, except for a huge hit trade this offseason.
The Rockets, which owe them from the Phoenix Suns, are poised to build a long-term winner. Looking forward to their future, center Alperen Senggan, Wing Amen Thompson and shooting guard Jalen Green could all be long-term productions, but the aging Fred Vanvriet may need to be replaced earlier than later.
Reed Shepherd showed some lead guard skills in Kentucky, and Greene had previously held shows, but had a true point guard and a great moment on the court next to them.
In the 2025 NBA Draft, Rockets can opt for Premier Point Guard. Dylan Harper certainly falls off the board, but the Rockets should choose Jeremiah’s Fear, Nolan Traore, Egor Denin, or Illinois’ standout Caspalus Jaccionis.
In the recent mock draft issued by ESPN, Houston earned Jakucionis 10th overall. In his only college season with Illinois’ Illinois, he averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.9 steel and 3.7 reps, shooting 44.0% from the floor and 31.8% from the deep.
He’s not the perfect outlook like Cooper Flag, but he makes additional effort to make up for the lack of natural athletic ability. He believes his shots will continue to improve, and he and Demin are the two best passersby in the draft.
He’s not the best defender and he takes a lot of risks. It could be both a professional and a scam. But with Thompson, Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. on the roster, Houston has the means to hide enough depth to develop at his own pace.
If you’re looking for pure passers-by, it’s hard to find anything better than Jakucionis in this draft. If everything goes to plan, the All-Big 10 Point Guard could be a key player on the championship team.
His lack of defensiveness and questions about his shots prevent him from being a superstar, but we compared him to the slightly larger Kyle Lowry. He’s not a great athlete, he’s an overall winner.
Recently, he was compared to Tyrees Halliburton, one of the best players left in the NBA playoffs.
“I think he has a chance, he has some scoring ability. In fact, he reminded me of a bit of Halliburton,” the NBA scout said. Hoopshype.
“That being said, I don’t completely trust his shot creations in the way I trusted by Halliburton, but their college numbers are surprisingly similar.”
Just looking at university statistics is rarely moving your draft inventory. NCAA key scorer Eric Dixon is expected to be his second pick, so Jakucionis statistics can be shot with grains of salt, but have not been completely rejected.
“The Jakucionis freshman statistics are roughly the same as Haliburton’s sophomore year. “They are in a similar pattern: long, tall point guards. What stood out for me is his hard nose style. He has this fearless attitude, he just barrels into traffic without being careful. Such grit appeals to the team.”
Recently, Halliburton has embraced the more physical aspects of his game, and although he is less physical than his teammates Andrew Nenbird, Benedict Maturin and Aaron Nesmith, he relies on it. Once Jakucionis entered the league as a player’s completeness, he was able to jump over Shepherd on the Houston depth chart.