Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra Praises Kasparas Jakucionis' Mental Toughness

Whether during his college days at Illinois, or his early summer league outings in San Francisco and Las Vegas, Kasparas Jakucionis has certainly had his ups and downs – and more of the latter in his short professional career with the Miami Heat. 

Aside from a stellar 24-point showing last Friday against the Atlanta Hawks, the former Illini guard has struggled immensely in the two categories he’s most often praised for: scoring and passing. In his four outings, not counting that game against the Hawks, Jakucionis has shot a combined 3-for-22 from the field and dished out eight assists (while turning the rock over 15 times).

Still, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is encouraged by Jakucionis’ ability to battle through his offensive struggles – and impressed by how the Lithuanian native is making an impact elsewhere.

“We were all encouraged just by the mental makeup that he had and what he showed,” said Spoelstra on the ESPN broadcast in the second half of that Friday night contest against the Hawks. 

“Look, it was uneven offensively, there’s no doubt about it. He had a lot of turnovers, some mistakes. But 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, (yet) he still found a way to impact the game, impact winning, and that’s what our scouts really liked about him as a young player,” said the two-time NBA Champion head coach.