Ranking the best Big Ten basketball players at midway point
5. Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois
Jakucionis is just a freshman but has already played professionally overseas. His experience has been evident in his first Big Ten season as the 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard has emerged as one of the top players in the conference. Overall, Jakucionis is averaging 15.6 points while shooting 47% from the field and 35% from 3-point range. His smooth shooting stroke and ability to get to the rim might be his top attributes, but he impacts the game in multiple ways, also averaging 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals. He鈥檚 a big reason why Illinois has the second-best offense in the Big Ten, and despite some ups and downs from the Illini thus far in Big Ten play, he could put them in position to succeed come March alongside fellow freshman standout Will Riley, big man Tomislav Ivisic and skilled guard Kylan Boswell.
