The Miami Heat entered the 2025 NBA Draft with one pick in the first round.
To be precise, the Miami Heat scored their 20th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The organization used it to select Kasparas Jakucionis from Illinois.
Lithuanian security guards instantly impressed the heat fanbase. Obviously, heat fans were excited to see Jakucionis active in the 2025 NBA Summer League.
Jakucionis struggled to play well due to the heat in the California Classics, but he bouncing off in the Las Vegas Summer League.
After not violating the 5-point mark in the California classic, the Heat Nation was really worried about the rookie. However, Jakucionis showed significant improvements in the next three summer league matches.
This includes a 24-point scoring explosion against the Atlanta Hawks and more recently a 15-point outing against the Detroit Pistons.
Despite showing constant improvements, the heat fan base is not entirely certain that the 19-year-old is NBA-compatible at this point in his career.
“More sales than shots made again,” fans wrote. Another was added, but “I can’t blame some of his departure.”
“He’s fine, he just needs camp,” the third fan wrote, showing his trust in the 19-year-old.
“He was very active today, but he still needs some work,” the fourth fan added.
“I thought he played well under circumstances. He was crazy but not terrible,” fans said.
“He needs more time to develop,” the sixth passion fan added.
All in all, fans are mostly concerned about Jakucionis’ sales. After all, even in his only year in Illinois, he averaged 3.7 spins per game.
Jakucionis could make a leap forward before his rookie years after spending time at the Heat training camp.
However, Laser Sharp Focus is required from age 19 onwards. Well, there’s no reason not to believe in Jakucionis’ seriousness.
“It’s a process for me. I’m adapting to the game. It’s a little different. I’m trying to control what I can control, give the team 100% and work on the defensive side,” Jakucionis told Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina.
He added: “It’s basketball. One day, I miss you. Another day, you’re making. I’m working on it. It’s one of the keys to improving. I work on it every day.”
The heat silver lining is the fact that Jakucionis is only 19 years old and the two sides can work together to ensure that the Lithuanian star can reach his full potential in the future.