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Kasparas Jakucionis Rumors
Kasparas Jakucionis will be another rookie who will try to find his place in Miami. And, apparently, Jovic knows him pretty well. "I know a lot about his game," Jovic revealed. "I followed him in college because he played with my really good friend Tomislav Ivisic, and that's why I watched his game." Jovic also admitted that he was surprised to see Jakucionis dropping to the 20th pick. "I was really surprised when we drafted him because I really thought he was going to be like a Top 10 pick," he said. "But it's for sure a good pick for us. He's a great player. I haven't really talked to him, but I can't wait to see him play. And I'm sure he'll be a great piece for us."
On drafting Kasparas Jakucionis: “I’m not going to tell you where he was on our board, but it was a heck of a lot higher than where we picked him!” a Heat front office executive said. “The great thing about Kas is that he wasn’t very good in California. And he was mad about that. Here (Las Vegas) he was much better. That’s what will work for him in the NBA. He’s not going to settle for anything other than being great.”
Summer league was quite the experience for Miami Heat rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis. There was some good and there was some bad. Most importantly, there was plenty to learn from. “I’m happy to have this experience,” Jakucionis said at the end of his first summer league after being taken by the Heat with the 20th pick in the first round of last month’s draft. “I think we learned a lot as a team. Also for me individually, I think I learned a lot and just gaining experience every time is good. So I’m just trying to take it all in from coaches, from players who have been here. I’m just trying to listen and trying to take as much information as I can.”
Jakucionis also flashed the intriguing upside that led some to project him to be a lottery pick in the draft before he fell to the Heat at No. 20, recording an efficient 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 shooting on threes, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in the Heat’s first game of Las Vegas Summer League.
But he was able to make an impact in other ways by drawing enough fouls to go 23 of 25 at the free-throw line and also impressing with his hustle and defense during summer league. “That was a good teaching point for him and we were all encouraged by the mental makeup he had,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said while appearing on an ESPN broadcast of a Heat summer league game in Las Vegas “Look, it was uneven offensively — there’s no doubt about it. He had a lot of turnovers, some mistakes. All the intangibles — the defense, the hustle plays, the passing, all of that he was able to do while having some uneven offensive play. “Sometimes that can take a spirit or confidence away from a player, but he found a way to impact the game, impact winning. That’s what our scouts really liked about him as a young player. They watched him a whole lot more than we did at Illinois.”
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While discussing his childhood hero, Kasparas Jakučionis’ eyes lit up and his smile widened. The Miami Heat rookie already appeared in a good mood when he discussed overcoming early shooting struggles in the California Classic with strong performances in Las Vegas Summer League. When he reflected on watching LeBron James growing up, it seems that Jakučionis will most look forward to when the Heat play the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024-25 season. “When I was little, he was my hero,” Jakučionis told Sportskeeda about James. “He’s a complete basketball player. He does everything for the team to win. He’s a winning guy. He’s involving other players in the game. He can score whenever he wants. He defends. Basically, he is the true leader.”
What explained your improvement with your shooting from the Cali Classic to the games in Vegas? Jakučionis: “It’s basketball. One day, you miss. Another day, you make. I’m working on that. That is one of the keys for me to improve. I’ve been working every day on it.”
Ira Winderman: Kasparas Jakučionis (knee) good to go for Heat in Vegas summer league after knee-to-knee on Tuesday night in California Classic. Myron Gardner (finger) out for Friday vs. Hawks.
Following a quiet summer league debut on Saturday, Jakucionis was again quiet in his second summer league game. He recorded four points on 0-of-3 shooting from the field and three-point range (all four of his points came at the foul line), one rebound, two assists and three steals in 21 minutes in Sunday’s loss.
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But Jakucionis was quiet in his summer league debut, finishing the Heat’s summer league opener with three points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field, 0-of-4 shooting on threes and 1-of-2 shooting from the foul line, one rebound, one assist and three turnovers in 22 minutes in an 82-69 win over the San Antonio Spurs’ summer squad on Saturday at Chase Center in the California Classic. It marked the first of three summer league games that the Heat will play in San Francisco before taking part in Las Vegas Summer League. “Today was my first game and it was different,” Jakucionis said following his summer league debut. “The game style and everything is different. But I’m happy with the team’s performance. I think we played pretty good. We had good effort, we shared the ball well and we played as a team.”
On Saturday, Jakucionis split time between being used on the ball and off the ball. That’s different for Jakucionis, who was among the highest usage guards in college basketball last season. “I can adapt to on the ball or off the ball pretty well, I think,” he said. “I feel comfortable in both areas and just try to get the best out of myself to help the team win in any situation I’m put in.” What does the Heat want to see from Jakucionis in the coming days during the rest of summer league? “Just energy, communication, being aggressive and just give all-out effort,” Jakucionis said of the message he has received from Heat coaches.
On Saturday, Jakucionis split time between being used on the ball and off the ball. That’s different for Jakucionis, who was among the highest usage guards in college basketball last season. “I can adapt to on the ball or off the ball pretty well, I think,” he said. “I feel comfortable in both areas and just try to get the best out of myself to help the team win in any situation I’m put in.” What does the Heat want to see from Jakucionis in the coming days during the rest of summer league? “Just energy, communication, being aggressive and just give all-out effort,” Jakucionis said of the message he has received from Heat coaches. Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Eric Glass has been encouraged by what he’s seen from Jakucionis through his first few days with him. “I think Kas was very steady,” Glass said following Saturday’s summer league opener.
Head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis and the Lithuanian Basketball Federation revealed the selections for the EuroBasket 2025 on Friday. Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings is focusing on his wife expecting a kid during the offseason and was officially ruled out. Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls is also out, as well as Kasparas Jakucionis of the Miami Heat.
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