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With Heat rookie Kasparas Jakucionis wrapping up his first Summer League, it was no doubt a frustrating start for the 20th overall pick in the last NBA Draft. Though the Heat guard in Jakucionis would bounce back and find his footing later, it wasn't always rainbows and sunshines as coaches speak on what stood out from the stint.
The inconsistency shown by Jakucionis could have been expected since the Summer League was his first taste of facing potential NBA talent. During the California Classic, Jakucionis struggled in the three games, totaling 12 points on one-of-15 shooting from the field, 10 of the points coming from the free-throw line.
He would start Las Vegas play strong, scoring 24 points on seven-of-12 shooting from the field and five-of-nine from deep, while also recording four assists, four rebounds, and two steals. To Miami Summer League head coach Eric Glass, the team saw “what they needed” from Jakucionis, which is why they sat him out from the finale on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“The organization had seen what they needed to see from Kas, and he played his amount of games,” Glass said, according to The Miami Herald. “And we’re trying to get some other guys in there.
“But I think the biggest takeaway from Kas is we got to learn him, he got to learn us,” Glass continued. “We got some stuff on tape. And now we have seven, eight weeks to get him better, to get him ready for the start of the season, and to improve his skills. And that was good. It’s important to have that learning process and help him understanding as a 19-year-old what it’s going to be like to play professional basketball against grown men in the NBA. And he’s ready for that challenge, and we’re excited.”
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on “good teaching point” for Kasparas Jakucionis
Despite the initial struggle from Jakucionis during the Heat's Summer League, it could prove to be beneficial, as stated by Erik Spoelstra. The head coach would appear on an ESPN broadcast during one of the team's games in Las Vegas and called the frustration a “good teaching point.”
“That was a good teaching point for him, and we were all encouraged by the mental makeup he had,” Spoelstra said. “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,” Spoelsra continued. “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.”
Coach Spo has liked what he's seen from Kas this #HEATSummer 👌 pic.twitter.com/vdAquMdnNO
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) July 11, 2025
In the six games played in the Summer League, Jakucionis averaged 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.7 turnovers per game while shooting 31.8% from the field and 21.4% from beyond the arc. The turnovers, which had been a concern in college with Illinois, were present in his outings, but will be an emphasis to limit.
At any rate, Jakucionis now plans to prepare for Eurobasket for Lithuania.
