Latest news with #Jakucionis
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Heat rookie Kasparas Jakucionis reflects on first summer league experience: ‘I learned a lot'
Summer league was quite the experience for Miami Heat rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis. There was some good and there was some bad. Most importantly, there was plenty to learn from. 'I'm happy to have this experience,' Jakucionis said at the end of his first summer league after being taken by the Heat with the 20th pick in the first round of last month's draft. 'I think we learned a lot as a team. Also for me individually, I think I learned a lot and just gaining experience every time is good. So I'm just trying to take it all in from coaches, from players who have been here. I'm just trying to listen and trying to take as much information as I can.' The 19-year-old Jakucionis struggled at times, like when he totaled just 12 points on 1-of-15 from the field, 0-of-11 shooting from three-point range and 10-of-12 shooting from the foul line in his first three summer league games at the California Classic. Jakucionis also flashed the intriguing upside that led some to project him to be a lottery pick in the draft before he fell to the Heat at No. 20, recording an efficient 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 shooting on threes, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in the Heat's first game of Las Vegas Summer League. In the end, Jakucionis averaged 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.7 turnovers per game while shooting 14 of 44 (31.8%) from the field and 6 of 28 (21.4%) from three-point range in six appearances during his uneven but important summer league showing. He only missed two of the Heat's eight summer league games this year, including being held out of Friday's 93-92 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas to wrap up summer league with a 4-4 overall record — 2-1 at the California Classic and 2-3 at Las Vegas Summer League. 'The organization had seen what they needed to see from Kas, and he played his amount of games,' Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Eric Glass said of the organization's decision to sit Jakucionis for Friday's summer league finale. '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. 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.' Jakucionis didn't shoot the ball well during summer summer league and he totaled 15 assists to 22 turnovers during his six summer league appearances. But he was able to make an impact in other ways by drawing enough fouls to go 23 of 25 at the free-throw line and also impressing with his hustle and defense during summer league. 'That was a good teaching point for him and we were all encouraged by the mental makeup he had,' Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said while appearing on an ESPN broadcast of a Heat summer league game in Las Vegas '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. 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.' But turnovers and three-point shooting were two issues Jakucionis also dealt with during his lone college season. While still impressing as a freshman at Illinois with his passing and playmaking ability, he averaged 3.7 turnovers per game for an exceptionally high turnover rate of 25.4% and shot just 31.8% on 5.2 three-point attempts per game last season. Struggling with those same areas in summer league will serve as another teaching point at this early stage of Jakucionis' development. 'Basketball is not all about shots,' Jakucionis said of his approach. 'One day it can fall in and the other day it won't fall in, but you still have to stick with the process and do everything you can on the floor and just give 100 percent.' Next up for Jakucionis is some time spent in his home country of Lithuania after a whirlwind of a few months that included the end of his one college season, the NBA Draft Combine, pre-draft workouts, the NBA Draft and summer league. He'll return to Miami in early August to begin preparing for his first NBA training camp and season. 'Every experience helps you,' Jakucionis said at the end of his first summer league. 'As much experience as you have, the more comfortable you feel moving forward. I'm just so happy to have this opportunity.'
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Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Two-way contract player Vlad Goldin steps up to help Heat finish summer league with win over Bucks
While most of the intriguing names on the Miami Heat's summer league roster were held of its summer-league finale, the Heat closed summer league with a bunch of players still vying for an NBA contract. With Kasparas Jakucionis, Keshad Johnson, Pelle Larsson and Kel'el Ware held out on Friday, the Heat finished summer league with a 93-92 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Pavilion on UNLV's campus in Las Vegas in a competitive game that included 25 lead changes and 13 ties. After going 6-0 in Las Vegas on the way to claiming last year's summer league championship, the Heat couldn't repeat as champions and posted a overall summer league record of 4-4 this year — 2-1 at the California Classic and 2-3 at Las Vegas Summer League. Jakucionis, Johnson, Larsson and Ware are the only four players on the Heat's summer league roster who are signed by the Heat to standard contracts for this upcoming seson. Johnson, Larsson and Ware each played in five of the Heat's eight summer league games and Jakucionis played in six of the Heat's eight summer league contests. It marked Johnson, Larsson and Ware's second summer league after helping the Heat win the Las Vegas Summer League title last year. But this marked Jakucionis' first summer league after being selected by Miami with the 20th pick in the first round of last month's draft. The 19-year-old Jakucionis averaged 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.7 turnovers per game while shooting 14 of 44 (31.8 percent) from the field and 6 of 28 (21.4 percent) from three-point range in in six appearances during his uneven summer league showing. Without Jakucionis, Johnson, Larsson and Ware, the Heat closed summer league with a starting lineup of Vlad Goldin, Erik Stevenson, Kira Lewis Jr., Myron Gardner and JC Butler. Goldin, who is signed by the Heat to a two-way contract, is the only player currently on an NBA deal who played for the Heat's summer team on Friday. He took advantage of the opportunity, turning in his best performance of this year's summer league with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line, 10 rebounds and four blocks in 22 minutes. Goldin helped the Heat escape the back-and-forth affair with a victory, scoring 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter. Among those currently free agents and looking for their next basketball stop who stepped up for the Heat on Friday were Stevenson, Javonte Cooke and Gardner. Stevenson, who went undrafted in 2023 and has spent the last two seasons in the G League, finished with 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-of-10 shooting on threes, three rebounds, five assists and one block in 18 minutes before exiting Friday's contest early in the second half because of a finger injury. Cooke, who went undrafted in 2022 and has spent the last three seasons in the G League, recorded 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, 0-of-4 shooting on threes and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line, three rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block in 27 minutes. Gardner, who went undrafted in 2023 and has spent the last two seasons in the G League, totaled 16 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 shooting on threes and 6-of-6 shooting from the foul line, six rebounds, two assists, four steals and one block in 26 minutes. The Heat has one open spot on its 15-man standard roster and two open two-way contract slots, but has held off on filling those openings up to this point. With the Heat already above the luxury tax threshold, Miami is more likely to use a two-way deal that doesn't count toward the salary cap, luxury tax or aprons to add a developmental player who impressed in summer league. Next up for the Heat is some downtime before things ramp up ahead of this upcoming season. The Heat is scheduled to hold its annual media day on Sept. 29 before opening training camp on Sept. 30 to kick off the 2025-26 season.
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Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Heat falls to 1-3 in Vegas after summer league loss to Pistons. How Jakucionis and others fared
With the Miami Heat's summer league team missing its leading trio of Keshad Johnson, Pelle Larsson and Kel'el Ware, rookie Kasparas Jakucionis got the opportunity to play as the summer squad's leading man. But like most of summer league, the results were mixed for the 19-year-old Jakucionis in the Heat's 108-88 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday at the Pavilion on UNLV's campus to drop to 1-3 in Las Vegas Summer League. After finishing with just six points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field, 0-of-3 shooting on threes and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line while recording only one assist to three turnovers in the first half, Jakucionis totaled nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, 1-of-3 shooting on threes and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, two assists and two turnovers in the second half. Jakucionis, who was selected by Miami with the 20th pick in the first round of last month's draft, closed Thursday's loss with 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field, 1-of-6 shooting on threes and 6-of-6 shooting from the foul line, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block while committing five turnovers in 28 minutes. The other Heat player currently with an NBA contract who played Thursday was center Vlad Goldin, who is signed by Miami to a two-way deal. Goldin contributed six points on 1-of-4 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from the foul line, five rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 20 minutes against the Pistons. Without Johnson, Larsson and Ware, the Heat started a lineup of Jakucionis, Marcus Williams, Erik Stevenson, Dain Dainja and Goldin on Thursday. While Johnson remains with the Heat's summer team, Larsson and Ware left Las Vegas and their summer league work is done. Larsson impressed during summer league, averaging 17.4 points, three rebounds and three assists per appearance in his five summer league games this year between the California Classic and the Las Vegas circuit before leaving the Heat to join Sweden's national team ahead of the EuroBasket 2025 tournament. But Larsson was far from perfect, totaling 15 turnovers to 15 assists and also shooting just 22 of 52 (42.3 percent) from the field and 5 of 19 (26.3 percent) from three-point range in his five summer league appearances. It was an up-and-down summer league for Ware, who averaged just 12 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 13 of 33 (39.4 percent) from the field in his first three summer league appearances this year after establishing himself as one of the NBA's top rookies last season. But after Heat coach Erik Spoelstra challenged Ware to 'really embrace and improve his professionalism, his consistency, his approach every single day,' Ware responded with his two best performances of this year's summer league by averaging 21 points, 12 rebounds, 1.5 steals and two blocks per game while shooting 16 of 29 (55.2 percent) from the field and 5 of 6 (83.3 percent) from three-point range in his final two summer appearances. The absences of Johnson, Larsson and Ware allowed Heat summer league players still without NBA contracts like Stevenson and forward Myron Gardner to flash their skill sets. Stevenson, who has spent the last two seasons in the G League, closed Thursday's defeat with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 shooting on threes and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line, four rebounds, one assist and one block in 22 minutes. Gardner, who also spent the last two seasons in the G League, finished Thursday's loss with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range and 1-of-1 shooting from the foul line, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 23 minutes. It marked Gardner's first game in Las Vegas Summer League after suffering a finger injury during the California Classic. Guard Bryson Warren, who stood out for the Heat's summer league in the California Classic, has not played in Las Vegas because of a hamstring injury. After winning the Las Vegas Summer League championship last year, the Heat won't repeat as champions this year. The Heat will play its fifth and final Las Vegas Summer League game on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks' summer squad (7 p.m., ESPN+).
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Miami Herald
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Heat rookie Kasparas Jakucionis bounces back, ‘looked more himself' in Las Vegas opener
It should have been a feel-good day for Miami Heat rookie Kasparas Jakucionis. After all, he had just turned in one of the highest-scoring performances during the first few days of this year's Las Vegas Summer League after making just one field goal in his first three summer league games at the California Classic. But instead, Jakucionis was left lamenting what he didn't do in the Heat's 105-98 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday to begin Las Vegas Summer League instead of celebrating his breakout 24-point performance. 'I mean, basketball is a lot more than just shooting,' Jakucionis said after Friday's summer league defeat. 'It felt good, yeah. But eventually we still lost. I didn't do a great job on the other side like rebounding, getting out on transition defense. So yeah, but I definitely felt better with the shot.' Jakucionis certainly wasn't perfect to begin Las Vega Summer League and he's not expected to be perfect after just recently turning 19 years old on May 29. But Jakucionis definitely showed some signs of growth on Friday after totaling just 12 points on 1-of-15 from the field, 0-of-11 shooting from three-point range and 10-of-12 shooting from the foul line in his first three summer league games at the California Classic, and that's what matters most to the Heat. Jakucionis, who was selected by the Heat with the 20th pick in the first round of last month's draft, closed the Heat's Las Vegas opener with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, 5-of-9 shooting on threes and 5-of-5 shooting from the foul line, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and two turnovers in 28 minutes. 'It was good to see him get his feet underneath him,' Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Eric Glass said when asked about Jakucionis. 'He looked more himself. Hopefully we can continue to grow with that.' Most of Jakucionis' production came in the first half, catching fire early to record 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, 3-of-3 shooting on threes and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in the opening period. Jakucionis went on to finish the first half with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting on threes, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one turnover. He totaled five points on 1-of-4 shooting from the field in the second half. 'I think I was a little bit more aggressive on the offensive end,' Jakucionis said when asked what he felt that he did better on Friday. That uptick in aggressiveness came after a lot of film study in the wake of his three-game struggle at the California Classic. 'I'm watching a lot of film,' Jakucionis said, with the Heat set to play its second of at least five Las Vegas Summer League games on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 p.m., NBA TV). 'That's what I like to do. Just moving forward, I will watch more and more film. We will have more and more games to watch and try to get the little details that matter and try to improve my game.' Jakucionis' standout summer league day also came after longtime Heat captain and current Heat executive Udonis Haslem pulled him aside and spoke to him on the team's bench just minutes prior to tipoff Friday in Las Vegas. 'A lot of advice,' Jakucionis said when asked what Haslem's message was to him. 'I won't share them all. I'll keep it a secret. But he's helping me a lot. Everybody on the staff and all the players are helping me a lot. I'm just trying to listen, trying to learn as much as I can.' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra went as far as to say that Jakucionis' struggles to begin summer league could end up being a positive. 'That was a good teaching point for him and we were all encouraged by the mental makeup he had,' Spoelstra said while appearing on the ESPN broadcast of Friday's summer league game. '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. 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. All those intangibles. today, he's kind of putting it all together, which is fun to see.' Friday's breakout outing was just one game, just like Jakucionis' rough California Classic was only three games. Those are just reference points in the early days of his development with the Heat. The Heat is taking the long view with Jakucionis, but Friday's display was a step in the right direction. 'It's a process,' Jakucionis emphasized. 'It's usually a long process and it takes some time to just get to know everybody, get to know yourself during these games. I'm just trying to learn and do the best I can.'
Miami Herald
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Heat opens Las Vegas Summer League with loss despite breakout day from Kasparas Jakucionis
Maybe all Miami Heat rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis needed was a change of scenery. After totaling just 12 points on 1-of-15 (6.7%) from the field, 0-of-11 shooting from three-point range and 10-of-12 shooting from the foul line in his first three summer league games at the California Classic, it didn't take long for Jakucionis to snap out of his horrid shooting slump in Las Vegas. With the Heat opening Las Vegas Summer League with a 105-98 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV's campus, Jakucionis surpassed his three-game scoring total from the California Classic in his first quarter in Las Vegas., The 19-year-old Jakucionis caught fire in Friday's first quarter, recording 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, 3-of-3 shooting on threes and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in the opening period. Jakucionis made his first four three-point attempts of the game before missing his first shot from beyond the arc in the final second sof the first half. Jakucionis, who was selected by the Heat with the 20th pick in the first round of last month's draft, closed the Heat's Las Vegas opener with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, 5-of-9 shooting on threes and 5-of-5 shooting from the foul line, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and two turnovers in 28 minutes for a much-needed standout day after a rough showing at the California Classic. But Kel'el Ware's underwhelming summer league continued, as he finished Friday's defeat in Las Vegas with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, 0-of-2 shooting on threes and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, six rebounds, one steal and one block in 27 minutes. This comes after Ware averaged 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 27.5 minutes per appearance while shooting 9 of 24 (37.5%) from the field and 1 of 8 (12.5%) from three-point range during two games at the California Classic. After establishing himself as one of the NBA's top rookies and making the NBA All-Rookie Second Team last season, more is expected from Ware. The Heat, which won the Las Vegas Summer League championship last year, will play its second of at least five games in Las Vegas on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here are some other things to know from the Heat's summer league loss to the Hawks on Friday: ▪ The Heat opened Las Vegas Summer League with its preferred summer league starting lineup of Kira Lewis, Jakucionis, Pelle Larsson, Keshad Johnson and Ware. The Heat then used Vlad Goldin, Erik Stevenson, Marcus Williams and Javonte Cooke off the bench. ▪ After Larsson and Johnson were named to the All-California Classic Team for their strong start to this year's summer league, Larsson turned in another solid performance but Johnson was relatively quiet. Larsson totaled 16 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal on Friday. Johnson contributed nine points, three rebounds, three assists and one block. Both Larsson and Johnson are entering their second NBA season and are already signed to standard contracts for this upcoming season. ▪ Cooke stood out among the Heat's summer reserves on Friday, finishing the loss with 18 points, six rebounds and two assists. After going undrafted in 2022 out of Winston Salem State, Cooke has spent the last three seasons in the G League. Cooke, who turns 26 on July 11, averaged 17 points, five rebounds, 2.8 assists and one steal while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 85 of 254 (33.5 percent) from three-point range in 42 games for the Oklahoma City Thunder's G League affiliate last season. Cooke (6-foot-6 and 185 pounds) has yet to play in an NBA game. With the Heat still having two two-way contract slots still open, Cooke is establishing himself as an intriguing candidate for one of those spots. ▪ Among the Heat contingent in attendance for Friday's game in Las Vegas were head coach Erik Spoelstra, associate head coach Chris Quinn, assistant coaches Malik Allen and Octavio De La Grana, vice president of basketball development Udonis Haslem, and vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager Adam Simon. Spoelstra appeared on the ESPN2 broadcast of Friday's game and spoke about various Heat topics. Of the addition of veteran guard Norman Powell, Spoelstra said: 'Really excited about the addition of Norm. We've competed against him for a long time. When he was in Toronto, we had some great battles when he was a young player. Just the competitive spirit, the toughness that he brings, that's the part we really liked about him initially. But then the scoring boost, there's no doubt about it, we need it. His ability to get downhill. He's a great catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. He's ignitable like we like to say, can put points on the board in a hurry. He fits with the guys we have. We don't think that will be a concern at all. I'm excited to have his personality and competitiveness with our group.' ▪ Josh Christopher, who was a Heat summer league standout last year and closed this past season on a two-way contract with the Heat, is now on the Hawks' summer league roster. But Christopher did not play Friday because he was just added to Atlanta's summer roster on Thursday. Christopher, who is not eligible for another two-way contract because he has too much NBA experience under his belt, is an unrestricted free agent.
