Training camp opened this week for the Miami Heat, with two days of practice currently under the team’s belt ahead of Saturday night’s preseason opener against the Orlando Magic.
And there’s one individual battle behind closed doors that’s cracked the airwaves: Davion Mitchell … and rookie Kasparas Jakucionis.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra briefly discussed both players going at each other after Wednesday’s practice, gushing at their competitiveness — especially from the team’s No. 20 overall pick.
“All of us really loved it,” Spoelstra said after Wednesday’s practice. “The guys mentioned after the practice: The battle between [Kasparas Jakucionis] and [Davion Mitchell]. They’re both pitbulls. Davion’s a more veteran, seasoned NBA pitbull, but Kas has those kind of qualities in him. They were going at it after each other — in a good way. The scrappiness. If you didn’t know them, you’d think it’s something else. (Jakucionis) lost a couple of battles, but he’s putting his nose in there. I love his competitiveness.”
I can’t speak for everyone, but I would’ve done anything to be on a fly on the wall to watch these.
Jakucionis, 19, has a premier opportunity to seize in camp with Tyler Herro, Pelle Larsson and Terry Rozier all sidelined due to injury.
In six Summer League games, he averaged 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals on inefficient shooting. However, his roller coaster offense didn’t affect his defense as one of the team’s top defenders during their abbreviated sample.
One of the reasons why I loved him at Illinois was his nose for the basketball on both ends of the floor. He didn’t have great foot speed nor was he explosive, but he impacted winning basketball on both ends of the floor.
You love to hear him challenging Mitchell, a bulldog in his own right. Both players are fearless, so it’s a joy to hear they’re having a friendly, albeit feisty competition in practice.
Iron sharpens iron, people.
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if bam is your best player your a playin team.second best player top 4 team in east.3rd best player prob nba finals team.just dont have the ammo to get a ss.almost landed one in kd but as usual riley failed.tier two players get u playin rings
That is an obviously untrue statement.
Bam was already the second best player on a team that made the Finals twice and was a 1-seed once. And it’s not like the best players was an MVP candidate. And the supporting cast had no All-Stars.
So Bam can obviously be the second best player on a contender.
I will agree that Bam can’t be the best player on a contender, and he probably can’t be the second best offensive player on a contender. But he has already proven he can be one of the best players on a contender. He probably has more trade value than everyone else on the Heat combined. If this team isn’t winning, Bam isn’t the solution, but he’s obviously not the problem.
so much for the terry redeem tour. did not know he’s injured thankfully we got loads of guards. getting excited now. the loooooong offseason about to end. lets go kings of the play-in!!! lol
terrys legal matters still ongoing.poor guy most have lots sleepless nights.hope he gets cleared of that,hes made enough $$ he should just retire live good life with all his $$$
This may be the best federal clearance he will get for a while. If he knows he is innocent, it should be good enough for him to return to his best version of “Scary Terry”.
https://youtu.be/7lYRXk_d5m4?si=sh5NZkpMUNlD26p4
Kas mic’d up…
Gives you a little glimpse. That one play on defense, saw some athleticism. Thanks for posting.
There is an excellent article in FANSIDED (“Heat make gigantic Tyler Herro extension mistake in latest predictions”)
Here’s a few quotes:
“The biggest problem with a huge extension for Herro is that the Heat would be on the hook for roughly $90 million per year for two players who aren’t true alphas in the NBA. That’s not great, nor is it a proper formula for building a championship contender.
As good as Herro and Bam may be, they’re not elite superstars, and aren’t a duo that is going to lead a team toward a championship. As we saw this past season, the ceiling for a Herro and Bam-led team is not as high as it should be, especially if they’re going to be paid a combined $90 million per season.
Miami would be locking itself into mediocrity in the Eastern Conference. They probably wouldn’t ever be a downright terrible team with Herro and Bam leading the way, but they’d also never be truly in the championship mix.
With the way the Heat’s team is currently constructed, they clearly need a No. 1 option superstar. They don’t have one on their roster, and it’s one of the biggest reasons why they’re considered somewhat of an afterthought heading into the start of the new year”…
I would break this down into two components. First, as many of us have stated, it would be a big mistake if they gave Herro anything near the max. I have heard $40m per season and I don’t even like that. If he insisted on much more than $37.5m, trade him or just let his contract expire. And there should be no discussion at all this season with him starting the season on the injured list.3 years at $149m? 4 at $206m? 5 at $380m??? As we used to say in the old neighborhood, are you nucking futs?
I tend to lean towards Powell’s opinion that this team can be very competitive this season without an A level player (though that would be great). Sans Herro, the starting lineup of Davion, Powell, Wiggins, Bam, and Ware, is solid. Bench of Jovic, Simone, Dru, Keshad, Precious, Jaquez, and Kas provides offensive and defensive options. I have left out the 3 currently injured players, Herro, Pelle, and Rozier.
As I have suggested before, Miami should trade Herro for a player of equal (current) salary. Otherwise, he should be packaged as part of a bigger trade for an alpha. Bam & Herro pretty much guarantees Miami a play-in spot but not a championship.
By the trade deadline, Heat management should know what direction they want to go in (trade for an alpha, consider 2025-2026 a gap year and ride the season out or have a fire sale). With so much depth, I think Miami should be exploring potential trade partners willing to take Herro plus other players and draft picks for an alpha.
I almost posted the same AUCH article. I’ve been like a broken record on this subject. We have a real chance to use his value and improve this team. And, no way we can pay the man his bag. To not deal appropriately with this issue will be a mistake.
But, I keep thinking Riley has all these things considered and is waiting to see how we do without him, which would make sense.
Riley must know the path to ensuring long-term mediocrity he will ensure if he gives Herro an extension of anything above $35M per year.
Short of demonstrating all-star level PG skills and average or better defense, Herro has reached his peak. Although he has the athletic ability to be improve his defense and become something more than a one-way SG, up until now, he has not shown commitment to do so.
There is time to address the Herro situation. Depending on how the first half of the season develops, Riley will know if the right time to pull the trigger will be on or before the February trade deadline or next summer.
great points here. im loving it…we are about to start Lets Go Heat again! hahaha!! same position also on this Herro issue. not worth big $$$. my guess is Pat will be making a deal (again) if Tyler will surpass some stats this season before they finalize a new contract. if one has to go, its Tyler and not Bam.
I agree. Herro is not the solution. Before giving him any more money, I would like to see Miami do the following this season:
Love these kinds of stories. Kasper had nobody like this in summer league to go up against. I can’t wait for preseason games. Ready for scouting.
There must be something there. KJ had some tough moments in the summer but he must have something special about him as too many scouts thought highly of him. I will say this, anyone who takes on Davion has got no shortage of guts. It’s probably the best type of experience he could have at this stage.
You can get a sense of his energy in the YouTube clip I posted above. Unfortunately, he sprained his wrist, so not sure when we will see him in preseason.
I have seen comments regarding his commitment to becoming a very good defensive player. That is half the battle. With incremental improvement in both his offense and defense, I look forward to seeing where he will be in three years when he is 22.