We are just a few games into the 2025-26 campaign, but a familiar Illinois basketball name is still in the running for NBA Rookie of the Year.
The 2025 NBA Draft was an interesting one. The Illini had two players selected, both back-to-back in the first round. Kasparas Jakucionis was the first player off the board, and he was picked by the Miami Heat No. 20 overall.
That selection is now getting a little love from the sportsbooks. DraftKings has Jakucionis going off at +15000 to win the Rookie of the Year award. That means he is 150-1 to win the award.
This might sound like massively long odds, and you would be right. But it isn’t the worst odds for the coveted award. Actually, there are only 13 players who have better odds to win the Rookie of the Year award right now, with Cooper Flagg being the favorite at -140.
Name Odds
Cooper Flagg -140
VJ Edgecombe +190
Tre Johnson +1500
Dylan Harper +1500
Kon Knueppel +1800
Ace Bailey +4000
Cedric Coward +4000
Walter Clayton Jr. +6000
Jeremiah Fears +8000
Nique Clifford +10000
Khaman Maluach +10000
Ryan Kalkbrenner +10000
Derik Queen +12000
Kasparas Jakucionis +15000
The start of Kasparas Jakucionis’ career with the Miami Heat still on hold
It is great to see a former Illinois player in the running for Rookie of the Year, but we still haven’t seen Jakucionis on the court. He has been out for the first three games for the Heat, and that looks to continue this week.
Jakucionis has already been ruled out for the Miami game against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night. That would put him on the sidelines for the first four games.
It will be interesting to see when Jakucionis actually makes his first appearance. After the Hornets game on Tuesday, the Heat go on a four-game road trip that ends on November 5 in Denver.
Let’s see where Jakucionis makes his debut. He has a lot of hype, even without playing a second yet.
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