CHICAGO — Not everyone thought Kasparas Jakucionis was making the right choice a year ago when he decided the next step of his basketball career should happen in the United States on a college campus.

Other European players told Jakucionis it was a risk. That the chance to “disappear in college” was a possibility.

Jakucionis ignored the doubters.

“As soon as they started talking,” he told The News-Gazette on Wednesday at the 2025 NBA draft combine in Chicago. “As soon as they told me something I didn’t believe. I chose what I wanted to choose. I believed in myself.”

Jakucionis’ choice brought him to Champaign. To a season at Illinois. The 18-year-old bet on himself when others wouldn’t, and is about to reap the rewards.

Jakucionis participated in the required draft combine events. Anthropometric testing was Monday where the Illini freshman measured in at 6 feet, 33/4 inches barefoot and 205.2 pounds with a 6-73/4 wingspan and 8-4 standing reach.

Tuesday was agility testing and shooting drills. Jakucionis flashed in the latter as a top 20 shooter in spot-up situations, corner threes and in the three-point star drill.

And Wednesday put the Lithuanian standout in front of the media where he discussed the risk he took in choosing college basketball.

At least according to other people.

“I didn’t believe them,” Jakucionis said. “I still trusted myself. I believed in myself. I just wanted to compete against the best players that had the same dream as me to go to the NBA.

“A lot of people didn’t recommend me to go to college because of other European players’ challenges. I like to go through challenges. That’s why I moved to Barcelona when I just turned 15 because I thought it would help me grow a lot more as a basketball player and a person. The same happened with Illinois. I just wanted to make a step forward to keep improving and keep growing.”

Jakucionis’ third day at the combine didn’t include any 5-on-5 scrimmaging. Mostly because it didn’t need to. The Illinois guard has long been a projected first-round pick and likely winds up off the board before the lottery is complete in next month’s draft in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Even with those projections, Jakucionis lit up discussing his time in Chicago as another step in realizing a long-held dream.

“It’s really amazing to be here seeing the NBA logo everywhere,” Jakucionis said. “It’s the thing I’ve been working for and that I’ve been dreaming for. I think everyone starts when they’re little. Every basketball player dreams to play in the NBA. If your dream is not to play in the NBA, you’re not a real basketball player.

“It’s exciting. I’m so happy to be here. To do the drills and all that kind of stuff with an NBA jersey for the first time — not a real jersey, but an NBA draft combine jersey — is closer to the dream.”

Jakucionis has met with several NBA teams during the pre-draft process. Not so much for feedback, but to have the conversations and establish relationships.

Various mock drafts have Jakucionis going ninth overall to the Toronto Raptors (CBS Sports, The Ringer), 10th to the Houston Rockets (ESPN, Yahoo! Sports) or 11th to the Portland Trail Blazers (The Athletic, Bleacher Report).

“I think I can adapt to whatever a team needs me to do,” Jakucionis said, declining to list any favored preferred destination. “I can play on the ball and play make for others. I can execute 100 percent on the defensive end. I can play off the ball. Whatever a team needs me to do, I’ll be ready for that.”

Jakucionis considers himself prepared for the next level in part because he made the move to the U.S. and played a season of college basketball. It was unique enough compared to his his time with Barcelona and representing Lithuania in FIBA events to make a difference.

“The difference, I think, is the players’ talent and athleticism,” Jakucionis said, comparing his experience at Illinois and in the Big Ten compared to Europe. “The speed of the game, there’s quicker decisions to make. I think I grew up a lot with making quicker decisions, quicker passes.”

Growth Jakucionis can attribute to the gamble he took in choosing college basketball where the reward well outweighed any risk.