Anonymous Miami Heat Exec on Kasparas Jakucionis' NBA Summer Progress

But as the No. 20 overall pick – and a player who slid after being projected as high as No. 5 at one point during the 2024-25 college season – that was perhaps to be expected, or at least should have been on the Heat's bingo card. Jakucionis is what might be called a DIY pick, which means he'll have to be hammered on and undergo a bit of a facelift before becoming a finished product.

For what it's worth, though, Spotrac recently posted a compilation of Summer League notes featuring comments from anonymous NBA executives, coaches and scouts, and so far it seems Miami is tickled with what it has seen from Jakucionis.

“I’m not going to tell you where he was on our board, but it was a heck of a lot higher than where we picked him,” a Heat front office executive told Spotrac. “The great thing about Kas is that he wasn’t very good in California. And he was mad about that. Here [in Las Vegas] he was much better. That’s what will work for him in the NBA. He’s not going to settle for anything other than being great.”

Not a great deal of specificity there, but it should be encouraging for Jakucionis that the Heat seem pleased with his approach and progress, and also willing to show patience as he develops.

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