Okay, so the Miami Heat haven’t gotten everything right over the last two seasons. There’s no denying it. From the Jimmy Butler circus to missing out on key free agents or whiffing on trades (Damian Lillard, anyone?), and early playoff exits in two consecutive seasons in a row after making the finals in 2023. While Miami’s “Heat culture” may still rule the show, the quality of play on the court has not impressed. Two down seasons have revealed flaws in the roster and potentially elsewhere in the organization. All of that said, however, one element Pat Riley and his staff have not whiffed on has been the draft. During the NBA’s Summer League, the Heat showcased another draft pick with legitimate talent, continuing a trend that began with Jaime Jaquez Jr.‘s selection in 2023.
Summer League Shows the Heat Know How to Draft Talent
Miami Heat draft pick Kasparas Jakucionis ends NBA Summer League with talent and potential on display
Kasparas Jakucionis didn’t begin Summer League well, and it was a rocky up-and-down stint over six games. The No.20 pick—the only pick Miami had in this summer’s draft—could have been seen as a gamble. With his slow start in Summer League, it was beginning to look like a bad one. Considering that Miami’s last three significant picks—Pelle Larsson, Kel’ el Ware, and Jaquez—all shone bright in their Summer League stints after being drafted, Jakucionis wasn’t producing the same results, that is, until the end of the tournament in Las Vegas.
The former Fighting Illini put together a solid college season. He averaged 15 points per game, along with 5.7 rebounds. On the back end of Summer League, Jakucionis started to show flashes of what he did in college and what he could do in the NBA.
How large of a role Jakucionis will have in Miami this season is unclear. But if there is any indication regarding how Erik Spoelstra used Larsson and Ware last season tells us anything, Jakucionis will no doubt be awarded his fair share of chances.
Miami keeps hitting strong on draft picks
With Jakucionis heading into his first professional season, it’s hard not to look past what Miami has successfully done over the last two NBA drafts. Jaquez, Ware, or Larsson are unlikely to turn out as stars in the league. Still, there is no question each has shown in their rookie years that the Heat have had a knack for sniffing out talent in strong contributing role players.
That “knack” has seemingly continued with Jakucionis. Jaquez had an almost immediate impact in his rookie season, and has since worked hard to turn himself into a more well-rounded player, and it showed last season. Like Jaquez, Ware also impressed in his rookie year, which landed him a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team.
As for Larsson, he was used more sparingly throughout the 2024-25 season. When he did see the floor, he made the most of it, though. Jakucionis could follow in Jaquez’s and Ware’s footsteps from their first seasons. Or, he could take on a more observational role from the bench, learning and growing from the bench, like Larsson. Still, Miami appears to have hit another rookie homer with the talent needed to make an NBA player. If nothing else goes right for the Heat this season, at least their recent draft history continues to check all the right boxes.
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