Thankfully, for Miami Heat rookie Kasparas Jakucionis, the California Classic is a distant memory.
But it was also probably some of the worst basketball that the 6-foot-5 guard has played in his career — at least offensively. In those three games, he scored just six points on 1-of-15 shooting (0-11 3PT) with 12 turnovers; he was excellent defensively, but it was a week to forget for him.
He knew he played poorly, but was eager to brush it off in Sin City. He scored 24 points in his first Las Vegas Summer League game on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range with a less-than-active six-point, two-rebound, two-assist performance on Sunday.
While his July 11 game feels like an outlier, Miami Heat head coach recently complimented Jakucionis’ mental fortitude despite struggling.
“I think that was a good teaching point for him,” Spoelstra said. “We were all encouraged by the mental make-up that he had and what he showed. Look, it was uneven offensively (in the California Classic), there’s no doubt about it. Lot of turnovers, some mistakes. But all the intangibles — the defense, hustle plays, passing — all of that he was able to do while having some uneven offensive play. Sometimes, that can take the confidence away from a player, but (he) still found a way to impact the game, impact winning.
“That’s what our scouts really liked about him as a young player. They watched him a whole lot more than we did at Illinois, but it’s a lot of those intangibles.”
Kasparas Jakucionis can impact the game in multiple ways, which is a huge plus:
One of the biggest positives in my evaluation of Jakucionis pre-draft was exactly what Spoelstra just said: He impacts winning in multiple ways. He did suffer a midseason arm injury at Illinois, but he’s an excellent passer (with both hands) — which is why he was the second-best point guard in the class (for me) — is a very good rebounder for a guard, will get to the free-throw line, play the passing lanes and was always engaged defensively.
Where he had trouble at Illinois was his foot speed (or lack thereof) and his screen navigation. He has athletic limitations, which creeped up in the California Classic on-ball offensively. However, he didn’t let his porous offense affect his defense, which is exactly what you want to see in that situation.
He hasn’t been featured on-ball as much as I would’ve expected through his five Summer League games. Perhaps Pelle Larsson’s Summer League departure (EuroBasket) will help him get more over the team’s final two games Thursday and Friday, which could be monumental heading into training camp (in October) and beyond.
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He’s the perfect example of what the G League is for. Let him acquire playing experience In Sioux Falls and plug him in during garbage time in Miami for the first year. He’ll get the best of both worlds. He’ll be able to train, build up his body and be around the other roster players in Miami while he will be able to acquire experience in Sioux Falls.