Heat introduces first-round draft pick Kasparas Jakucionis: ‘It doesn't feel real yet'

Miami Herald

15 hours ago

Just a month after celebrating his 19th birthday, Kasparas Jakucionis is an NBA player.
Moments after posing for photos with his new Miami Heat jersey while standing between Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Heat president Pat Riley, the skilled Lithuanian guard admitted the last few days have been surreal.
'It's a different feeling,' Jakucionis said during his introductory press conference at Kaseya Center on Friday afternoon. 'It's so hard to describe in words. It doesn't feel real yet. So I'm still kind of trying to figure everything out. But it doesn't feel real.'
But it is real, as the Heat selected Jakucionis with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the NBA Draft held Wednesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Jakucionis, who turned 19 on May 29, doesn't have much time to let it sink in with summer league looming. He'll travel to San Francisco early next week to begin practicing with the Heat's summer league team on Wednesday.
'Just playing in summer league, try to get to know the game a little bit and just dive into the process,' Jakucionis said of the experience ahead.
Summer league will provide the first glimpse at Jakucionis' intriguing skill set that led to many draft experts projecting him to be a lottery pick before he ended up falling to the Heat at No. 20.
Jakucionis brings size to the position at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, and comes with the versatility to play as a lead guard but also as a secondary ball-handler.
After moving from Lithuania at 15 to play basketball in Spain for three years in Barcelona, Jakucionis moved to the United States to play college basketball at Illinois. He averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44% from the field and 31.8% from three-point range as a freshman.
Jakucionis now faces another transition, as he moves into the NBA.
'I think every time I moved somewhere else, especially from home when I was just 15, it helped me grow as a person and as a player,' he said. 'I learned new cultures, played different styles of games because Spain is different than Lithuania. Then I moved to Illinois, another adjustment to play basketball in the United States. I think all of these adjustments give me more experience. Obviously, it's a process and I can't wait to start working.'
Jakucionis' top skills are his playmaking and passing ability, especially in pick-and-rolls. That's a skill set that should help a Heat roster in need of creativity and playmaking on offense, and it should really help Heat big men Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware as roll men.
Jakucionis is also a quality finisher at the rim, shooting 65% around the basket in half-court settings during his lone season at Illinois despite none of those makes being dunks, according to Synergy. He also has a knack for drawing fouls, shooting an efficient 84.5% on 5.1 free-throw attempts per game.
But there are some questions surrounding Jakucionis' three-point shooting (shot 31.8 percent on 5.2 three-point attempts per game at Illinois last season), turnover-prone play (averaged 3.7 turnovers per game last season) and defensive ability at the NBA level.
'Definitely it's exciting to improve that,' Jakucionis said of the opportunity to become a better defender in the Heat's system. 'I always give 100 percent and just try to help the team and be the best version of me on that end of the floor, too.'
When asked which players he watches when trying to add to his game, Jakucionis pointed to Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic and talented Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard.
'I like to be myself,' Jakucionis said. 'But also I like to take something from other players, too. When I was little, I was watching Luka when he was still in Madrid. I moved to Spain after, too. I watch his playmaking. I like how Andrew Nembhard gives 100 percent on both ends of the floor, trying to do the right play and play the game the right way and shoot open shots. I would say those two the most, but I just like to be myself.'
Jakucionis will become the fourth active Lithuanian player in the NBA, joining Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, and Sacramento Kings centers Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas. But unlike Heat teammates Nikola Jovic (Serbia) and Pelle Larsson (Sweden), Jakucionis does not plan on taking part in EuroBasket 2025 later this offseason.
'It's amazing,' Jakucionis said of representing Lithuania at the NBA level. 'Lithuania is not a big country. There's only 2.5 million people, but everybody loves basketball and everybody is trying to make the best out of it and everybody supports it.'
But along with representing his Lithuanian roots, Jakucionis' time in Spain also left an imprint on him. He speaks fluent Spanish and even answered a question in Spanish during his introductory press conference on Friday.
'I love Spanish,' Jakucionis said. 'When I lived in Spain, I just learned it pretty quick. So I'm excited to be here because there's some Latin culture and a lot of people speak Spanish.'
The Heat announced Friday that Jakucionis will wear No. 25, which has also been worn by former Heat players Orlando Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Jordan Mickey, Wayne Simien, Anthony Carter, Jeff Malone and Milt Wagner.
Jakucionis wore No. 32 at Illinois, but couldn't continue wearing that number because the Heat retired it for Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal. So Jakucionis took some time to think about his new number before picking No. 25.
'A couple reasons,' Jakucionis said of his decision to wear No. 25 with the Heat. 'First, I was wearing No. 32. But before I was wearing No. 7 and the national team I was wearing No. 7 all the time. So 32 minus 7 is 25, my sister's favorite number is 25, her birthday is on the 25th of July, also I got drafted in 2025 and on June 25. So there's a lot that goes into it.'
Jakucionis still has plenty to figure out as a fresh-faced 19-year-old. The Heat's offense badly needs Jakucionis' on-ball creativity after finishing with a bottom-10 offensive rating in each of the last three seasons, but he'll also need time to develop as one of the youngest players the Heat has ever drafted.
But Jakucionis is already well aware of the Heat's famed 'culture' and he feels like he'll fit right in.
'It's a winning culture,' Jakucionis said. 'All the time, trying to do everything possible to win and give all-out effort every day and the toughness. I just love winning. I try to do everything possible for the team to win, try to work hard and be the best version of myself for the team to win.'