The Miami Heat hadn’t anticipated that Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis would still be on the board at the 20th pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft — and Jakucionis himself was just as surprised.
Despite being ranked as a top-10 prospect by major analysts — ESPN’s Jonathan Givony had him at No. 10, while both The Athletic and The Ringer listed him seventh — Jakucionis slipped down the draft board. Because of that, when the Heat attempted to bring him in for a predraft workout, he declined. He didn’t believe he’d still be available that late in the first round. Instead, team officials only managed to meet with him at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
“We tried to get him in [for a predraft workout],” said Adam Simon, the Heat’s VP of basketball operations and assistant GM, after the first round concluded Wednesday night. “But he didn’t think he would be there at 20.”
Simon admitted the feeling was mutual. “We didn’t think he would be there,” he said.
Nonetheless, the Heat capitalized on the opportunity, selecting Jakucionis at No. 20 during Wednesday night’s draft at Barclays Center. He’ll likely be introduced officially Friday during a press conference at Kaseya Center.
“We see tremendous potential with Kas,” Simon said. “You’re talking about a 6-5 [guard] with a plus-three [pointer], good athlete but with a high IQ. So if you combine all those things with a work ethic, there’s no reason why you can’t mold him into a very good NBA player. I think that’s why we were attracted to take him tonight.”
Jakucionis, who just turned 19 in May, offers positional size at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, plus a 6-foot-8 wingspan. He’s capable of playing both as a lead guard and a secondary ball-handler. After moving to Spain at age 15 to play with Barcelona’s basketball program, he later came to the U.S. to play college ball at Illinois. There, he averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists as a freshman, shooting 44% overall and 31.8% from beyond the arc.
Simon praised his standout qualities: “What stands out is his strong ball-handling, ability to read and make plays, his toughness, his overall ability to get downhill and finish at the rim.”
Jakucionis excels particularly in playmaking and passing, especially in pick-and-roll scenarios — skills that should complement the Heat’s offense and benefit big men like Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware.
His rim finishing is impressive too; during his season at Illinois, he shot 65% around the basket in half-court play, even though none of those finishes were dunks. He also consistently drew fouls, converting 84.5% of his 5.1 free-throw attempts per game.
“I try to make everybody better on the court, try to find open players, shoot when I’m open and give all-out effort every day,” Jakucionis said during a call with South Florida reporters following his selection.
Still, he’s not a finished product. One concern is his high turnover rate — 3.7 per game, which translates to 25.4% in a high-usage role.
“Certainly the numbers are higher than you want, but he’s high usage and he’s processing things,” Simon noted.
“The turnovers were high, certainly. But I think they’re turnovers that you can work with. I think those are correctable, they’re teachable to see the game. But if you just watched all his film, he’s making good reads out there, he’s making plays.”
Outside shooting is another question mark. Jakucionis made only 31.8% of his threes last season, though Simon remains optimistic because he was shooting 41.4% from deep through January 1 before a left forearm injury affected his stroke in the latter half of the season.
“The shot, he’s projected based on our analytical numbers to become a really good shooter,” Simon said. “His stroke is pure. He takes tough shots. I think there are things in his game that he certainly has to work on. But you look at a player who turned 19 last month and what he’s accomplished at junior levels, everywhere he’s played, he’s really been effective and efficient. There are things he has to work on, but the shooting I don’t think is going to be any deficiency. I think that’s going to get better.”
Defensively, Jakucionis isn’t expected to be elite, but the Heat believes his size, toughness, and IQ will help him adapt.
“The majority of these players lack defensive skill and technique that’s needed at the NBA level,” Simon said. “What he has is a toughness to him, he has an edge, he has an IQ. I think when you combine those skills, I think he’ll be able to be a tough astute learner of our defensive systems. I think he’ll be able to defend at a high level in our league.”
Jakucionis is projected to earn about $3.7 million in his rookie season and will be under team control for five years. He’s expected to debut in summer league games in San Francisco and Las Vegas, with practices beginning next week.
He can still be traded this offseason, but not until 30 days after signing his rookie contract, which becomes an option starting Tuesday.
“I’m so excited,” Jakucionis said. “I’m just grateful for this moment to be in this place with this opportunity to get my name called. It’s special for me. That was what I was working for all my life since I was little and that was my dream. But now this is just the beginning and everything starts from new.”
He now joins a promising Heat core that includes Kel’el Ware (21), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24), Nikola Jovic (22), Tyler Herro (25), and Bam Adebayo (27).
This marks the first time in 20 years that Miami has drafted a first-rounder in four consecutive years, dating back to their 2002-2005 run (Butler, Wade, Wright, Simien).
“We’re trying to layer players — guys that are ready, we’re bringing in young players,” Simon said. “We’ve drafted players the last several years. We’re trying to keep developing them. The depth is important. … I think it was important for us to make this pick tonight to find another good player on a rookie-scale [contract]. It’s part of the new NBA, trying to continue to add players through the draft probably more than before.”
Though Miami doesn’t currently have a second-round pick in this year’s draft, they could still buy or trade for one — though doing so would hard-cap the team at the second apron for the season, which may cause hesitation.
Still, by selecting Jakucionis, the Heat might already have snagged the steal of the draft.
ESPN called the Heat one of the biggest first-round winners, noting, “it wouldn’t be surprising to see him eventually emerge as the franchise’s future point guard, thanks to the savvy he displays running pick-and-roll and his exceptional feel for the game.”
The Ringer awarded the pick an “A” grade and wrote: “Opposing Eastern Conference fan bases are mad that this happened, if that gives you any idea of how well the Heat did [yet again].”
The Heat believes Jakucionis is ready to prove them right.
“Kas is going to come in and fit,” Simon said. “He’s as good a gym rat as you’ll find. The guy loves being in the gym. He admitted he’s not much on other things besides basketball. He just really loves being in the gym. The Illinois coaches talked about never having to find him. He was always there, always working.”
