Miami Heat Found Lottery-Level Talent to Rebound With After Dreadful Season

For sanity’s sake, 2025 needs to be all about silver linings for the MIami Heat. They finally moved Jimmy Butler, and Davion Mitchell looks like a keeper as an x-factor in that deal. The Heat suffered a late 10-game losing streak, but showed resilience in closing strong to reach the play-in. They were embarrassed by the Cavaliers after becoming the first No. 10 seed to reach the playoffs, and that’s where No. 20 pick Kasparas Jakucionis comes into play.

Miami making the playoffs took itself out of a lottery that Dallas won as the longshot with odds the Heat would’ve faced, so losing out on the possibility of drafting Cooper Flagg helped add to the misery this past disappointing season delivered at every turn.

You can turn to laughing to keep from crying, right?

That’s why silver linings are a thing. Dwelling on what’s obviously not going your way or didn’t work out isn’t practical, especially when you’re a franchise accustomed to success. 

Jakucionis, a 6-foot-6 Lithuanian guard, falling into your lap as a lottery-type talent at No. 20 could be viewed as a sign the clouds are parting. He was considered a likely top-10 pick as recently as the beginning of the college basketball season. 

Jakucionis had a disappointing freshman year at Illinois, and anyone who tells you differently is sugar-coating. That’s not to say he didn’t enjoy some great moments or put together games where he clearly looked like an NBA player. It just didn’t happen consistently enough for him to remain a lottery lock. 

He was a headache with his activity and play-making as he was all season, pushing tempo at the controls of a lineup that featured a lot of high-level talent. Sloppy turnovers were a major issue against the better teams on the Fighting Illini’s schedule, emerging as a factor in multiple losses. He shot poorly in the NCAA Tournament, finishing 8-for-24 and 3-for-15 from 3-point range over two games. 

Jakucionis’ last college game, an 84-75 second-round loss to Kentucky, provided a painful ending to the roller-coaster season. Scoring just 13 points and committing six turnovers in a game where he was out of sync and in foul trouble isn’t a good memory.  If Illinois had advanced and he’d have performed better, he probably doesn’t slip to No. 20. If Jakucionis dazzled to his potential into the Final Four, he’d have gone higher than Walter Clayton Jr., who led Florida to a national title and ended up going No. 18, winding up with the Utah Jazz.

Jakucionis and the Heat can now rebound together. Although he’s unlikely to play a major role early, there’s a chance the 19-year-old earns minutes in Erik Spoelstra’s rotation because he fills a need.

Spo doesn’t play young guys out of the gate, but both Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware earned major minutes by the time their first seasons wrapped. Jakucionis could break through due to his great size as a playmaker and a high motor that has made him a prolific rebounder for his position.

He’s not being viewed the way Flagg is in Dallas, but has his own Luka Doncic tie-in. Back when Jakucionis moved to Spain to play for Barcelona as a teenager, he watched what Doncic did for rival Real Madrid upon moving to the country. He’s also studied Andrew Nembhard to take some notes on his defense and constant movement. 

Jakucionis’ willingness to work hard the moment his feet hit the floor made the Heat’s choice easy even though they didn’t work him out. Illini head coach Brad Underwood would’ve preferred if he were more efficient, but never questioned his effort. Watching his games, that was no issue. He’s raw, moldable clay.

On paper, Miami got an A-plus this draft. Jakucionis will get every opportunity to be successful through great coaching and a franchise that demands you put in the work. Most important, the teenager loves where he landed.

“I love Spanish,” Jakuconis said, answering a question in the language at his introductory press conference. “When I lived in Spain, I just learned it pretty quick, so I’m excited to be here where there’s latin culture and a lot of people speak Spanish.”

Jakucionis’ size and playmaking at the point is a welcome addition in South Florida. He was a pro before he went to college, has already acclimated to a new country twice, and will now be learning a new league at the highest level. If things go right, he’ll join Ware and Mitchell as silver linings that come out of a difficult time for the Heat.

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