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After the Heat selected Kasparas Jakucionis with the 20th overall pick in the most recent draft, there were some high expectations for the player out of the University of Illinois to perform right away in the NBA Summer League. While the Heat rookie is no doubt excited to improve and contribute, it won't always be an easy road as his debut in the Summer League was one to build off on.
Jakucionis would start in Miami's win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, but his outing would largely be a frustrating one as he scored three points on shooting one of seven from the field, missing all four attempts from three-point range. He would also have three turnovers to go along with one rebound and one assist as he admitted after the win that it felt “different” in his first game at the NBA level, despite it being the Summer League, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“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.”
While he would go scoreless in the first half and record no assists in 10 minutes, the second half was a little better in showing his playmaking, which is arguably his best trait coming out of college. Though the box score didn't show it, he would make some nice passes, but his teammates wouldn't make the shot.
Heat's Kasparas Jakucionis knows this is a “learning experience”
As Jakucionis has the talent to contribute to the Heat right away due to his ball-handling and playmaking abilities, his role was a bit different on Saturday in his first Summer League game. He would be used on and off the ball throughout the game, which is why it felt different for Jakucionis since he was a high-usage player for the Fighting Illini in college.
“I can adapt to on the ball or off the ball pretty well, I think,” Jakucionis said on playing in different areas. “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.”
With time, there's no doubt that Jakucionis will get more comfortable and take on a bigger role as the key traits that coaches have been instilling in him are hyping up the “energy,” “communication,” and especially being “aggressive.” Besides the physical capabilities, the mental aspect is almost equally as important as Jakucionis knows this is a “learning experience.”
“It’s a lot of learning experiences. It’s a process,” Jakucionis said, via The Miami Herald. “I’m excited to be in that process, to be in this moment. I’m trying to take everything I can, trying to learn as much as possible from other guys, trying to listen to everybody who gives me advice and just get that experience to make me more ready.”
At any rate, Jakucionis won't have to wait too much time to get back on the floor as the Heat will take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the Summer League California Classic on Sunday.
