Plenty of draftniks envisioned former University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign star guard Kasparas Jakucionis to be selected with a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but the opening 14 picks of the draft came and went without him hearing his name called. The Miami Heat took his name off the board by selecting the Lithuanian with the No. 20 overall pick.
Jakucionis’ new teammate, big man Nikola Jovic, admitted that he’s quite familiar with his game and watched him hoop at the collegiate level.
“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 said he was surprised to see Jakucionis fall so far in the draft as well, and he seems to think the 19-year-old will be a “great piece” for the Heat moving forward.
“I was really surprised when we drafted him because I really thought he was going to be like a top-10 pick,” Jovic 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.”
Miami used its only pick in last June’s draft to add Jakucionis to the fold. Five Reasons Sports’ Greg Sylvander claimed leading up to the draft that lots of people thought the draft pick could end up as part of a trade for star forward Kevin Durant, but that never came to fruition. Durant got moved to the Houston Rockets via trade.
It’s far too early to definitively conclude as to whether the Heat made the right decision drafting Jakucionis in the opening round of the 2025 NBA Draft, but his play in Summer League certainly left a lot to be desired. He had moments where he flashed his uniquely well-rounded skill set, but they were few and far between. He averaged just 9.5 points on 31.8 percent shooting from the field and 21.4 percent from 3-point range coupled with 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest.
Jakucionis can get rid of any bad taste that Heat fans might have left in their mouths from his Summer League stint with a productive and promising stretch of preseason play. Miami will tip off its six-game preseason schedule with a bout against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 4.
Here’s to hoping that Jakucionis will follow in the footsteps of recent Heat draft picks who were highly successful as rookies, including big man Kel’el Ware — who finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year award voting last season — and forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
