Is it time for the Kasparas Jakučionis era?

Jakučionis might have the opportunity to see the court with the Heat’s current point guard injury situation. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald also reported that Dru Smith missed practice due to a left hip contusion. He also reports that starting point guard Davion Mitchell is expected to play. The Heat’s next game is Tuesday at 6:00pm Eastern time against the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. With Smith missing practice and Jakučionis getting called up, that could signal opportunity of playing time.

Biggest strength

Jakučionis has been showing promise in the G League posting up respectable numbers. He is averaging 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. Jakučionis was known to be a creative passer since the Heat drafted him and it is something that impresses many fans. His production in the G League shows his ability even as you dig further into the assists numbers. He has appeared in 8 games for the Skyforce and in 6 of those contest he has dished out 5 assists or more. Those two games he did not reach 5 assists were his first two contest. This shows once he was accumulated to the team, he has been excellent at finding open teammates.

Biggest weakness

The knock on Jakučionis is his turnovers where he averages 3.1 per game. This was the biggest concern out of college, and it is still to this day. The good news is that though it can still be a struggle, he continues to improve. In his last G League outing he had 0 turnovers for the first time in his career. He also has not had a game with more turnovers than assists since his first two games.

Fit with the Heat

Jakučionis is a player that could excel in the Heat’s new offensive philosophy. He also is a player that will give 100% effort on the defensive end even if he isn’t the most talented defender. He would help the team in transition and to continue keeping their pace up. I think he would also be a good off ball shooter. The Heat would have to live with some turnovers as he accumulates to NBA action from the G League. One thing that is clear is Heat fans would be excited to watch their rookie get meaningful minutes on an NBA court.