Despite a limited role as a rookie, Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis still earned some recognition around the NBA.
The league announced its All-Rookie teams on Wednesday. Jakucionis, who turns 20-years-old on May 29, didn’t make the first or second team. But the former No. 20 overall pick earned one second-team vote.
Jakucionis joined Dallas’ Ryan Nembhard as the only two players to receive only one second-team vote. Among the others who had les than five include Charlotte’s Sion James, San Antonio’s Carter Bryant and Washington’s Will Riley.
Kasparas Jakucionis is only scratching the surface:
After a roller coaster Summer League, Jakucionis didn’t crack the Heat’s initial rotation and was eventually sent down to Sioux Falls in mid-November to garner some much-needed reps. He was still incredibly raw as a ballhandler, and going to the G-League allowed him to play with the rock in his hands as a primary initiator.
Jakucionis was called in mid-December, and didn’t get sent down. He made history in his first career start against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 21 and was a regular rotation player the rest of the season. He appeared in 53 games, including 12 spot-starts, averaging 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
He shot 42.3 percent from beyond the arc, including north of 48 percent on spot-up attempts, with a 61.4 true-shooting percentage. Jakucionis still didn’t amass a ton of on-ball reps, but he showcased himself as one of the team’s top passers and pick-and-roll decision-makers when he did.
Furthermore, he was one of their top point-of-attack defenders. He unveiled quicker foot speed with more enhanced screen navigation than he did at Illinois.
Jakucionis only totaled 945 minutes. But given his size, work ethic, competitiveness and already extensive growth, he’s only scratching the surface of his potential as a lead guard. There are still plenty of growth to be had, but Jakucionis showcased more than enough to be an impactful rotation player, despite what the numbers may suggest.
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bam second team all d congrats
okc coach a handsome dude.spo not so much lol
Would you say he is a “pretty man”
reminded me of stockton?
okc to good for rcs spurs series might go 5 or 6.that 2 way factory churned out to many bros to handle for spurs
OKC is a pretty diverse team, or haven’t you noticed. Also, I said I like both teams. And also, both times you asked me to pick, I said it would be hard to bet against the Thunder. Try to pay attention.
shtein chet caruso not a bad way to start a band
bam had quite a year 83 pts nicest guy in nba not bad plus aja wilson
okc impressive .whos the next sam presti pat u suk gtfoh
Let’s see how fast you change your opinion if he pulls off a major trade.
doesnt have the ammo rc nobody wants herro except 2015
We will start to find out in 1 month.
Detroit might be very interested because they suck offensively. Thompson is a one-way player. 9.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.1 apg and 20.4% 3 point shooter.
w/o healthy fox dont think spurs can win another game
Too bad they don’t allow betting on this site.
gentlemans bet or how bout loser doesnt post for one game next year.winner picks the game
reggies got the bill walton old school look
sga flop?thats what they say ,only watch heat games until playoffs
mccain 20 fg attempts to many who does he think he is tyler herro
24 points on 10-21 shooting. He and Caruso were the difference.
yeah what did phily not see in him,carusos prob been their mvp.that is one heckuva team.i think bam on the spurs next year puts them over the hill they really dont have a pf rcs team.we get harper vasel.
wembys so big he might be tired
caruso a step ahead of everybody
does okc have a james harden type hell no .
fox back hes damaged goods
tirico almost as good as e reid.very ez to listen to the antithesis of doris burke
this is a team effort.ss has kind of been nullified.impressive squad we need to pluck a few away cant keep em all rc
You can see the clear difference of these 2 great teams to ours.
i know we are mediocre ever since jimmy.left if u kept the same heat team as last year and put greek on there i think we could win the east.we still wouldnt beat okc or spurs.
At least Heat would not have been swept by Cleveland in 4 straight games by a point differential of 122 points (30.5 points per game).
that series showed what jimmy meant to us.u put a certified hfl ss on most eastern teams not named the generals theyre competing for ecf.cleve was betterlast year with garland hunter than with da beard.east conf very mediocre except for da knicks
Boston not too bad either with a healthy Tatum playing all NBA level. Detroit over performed. That’s one team Miami could have competed with if they had made it to 8th seed. That team definitely needs more firepower. With Tobias Harris going, they may be able to package a deal for Herro. They need his scoring and playmaking badly. Their defense can cover for him like they covered for Uncan.
Heat was mediocre before Jimmy left. Play-in caliber 2.5 seasons before he left and 1.5 seasons after he left. One ss does not a champion make.
why did phily trade mccain salary dump hes quite a two way player.why did phily not resign jimmy.nice org in city of brotherly dum
The “process” lives!
too funny lebron
i have not been impressed with the 6 man of year
Good player but not the sharpest pencil in the box. Jaime more intelligent. Of well.
for the spurs hes prob their 8th 9th best player.jjj prob type 5 heater.jjj needs to be our 8 9 best player that would help..
looks like if wembys not superman okc wins
fox done dam too bad for them rc cant be to happy
He came back in, but I like both teams.
hes not ever gonna be 100% for the playoffs.spurs youngens need a little more experience not their time yet
Fox may be traded to allow Harper chance to shine. Hmm?
how bout bam to spurs for harper and vasell.spurs have no pf
You hittin that bong again?
would u say harrison barnes a better player than jjj or pelle?doesnt play at all .
No. Maybe a few years ago.
he never plays how can u tell lebron.hes tyler fresh .they just have loaded roster
Yup. Another expiring contract.
we need to send herro to the two way factory in okc maybe he can come back a better player after hes done with the factory rehab
Too late. He has never been committed to developing his defensive skills. Too physically demanding. He prefers to conserve his energy to use on offense.
must be hes got a fairly decent build.tall he use to get rebounds lately not much.wants to stay healthy for his new family i guess .very talented player just happy making millions and not working on his defensive game for whatever reason.when healthy and fresh unstoppable.has way more god given talent than caruso
Yup. He’s like Jovic. He wants to define his role and has been too stubborn to change. Waste of talent and unrealized potential. I wonder if Heat would explore packaging both Herro and Jovic for Jamal Murray. Jokic could take Jovic under his wing and Herro could provide scoring.
whos gonna play pg denver .murray was really bad in playoff series he could be washed.i think jovic with jokic could succeed hes got talent shnozzy.just needs to be in serbia or with kic
do they have a two way factory in okc
Yes. It’s called the draft.
presti best gm rc but yeah they draft very well.best player traded forthough
…with lottery picks.
ice man gervin we have ice man jovic
okc has two many to wayers we have very few
castles injured hes taken some tough hits shooting gone down
Is there a higher iq player than Caruso?
jimmy ?not off the ct of course
Caruso is the epitomy of a wiley high octane veteran. With the exception of Wemby, tonight San Antonio’s younger players made several low bbiq plays. OKC’s players, as a whole, appear to have much higher bbiqs. Larsson, Jaquez and Jacucionis are also high bbiq players. They may not be the most athletic players, but all three are hard-nosed, hard working, relentless and willing to assert themselves physically.
that is def true,a little choc in them would have been nice but we cant have everything.i have no problem giving jjj minutes.pelle a few less.jaco unproven .hes not earned the hfl certification for 15-20 mins a game jjj def has pelle also.caruso was a pretty mediocre shooter till this series but lebron could use his talent.wtf lakers thinking letting him get away.
Lakers has gotten rid of a lot of players over the past few years.
okc role players outplayed spurs
caruso for giddy helped both teams
these okc role players so athletic their defense is stifling the spurs
okc has an excess of two way bros wow can we get one please
They have two more first round picks this year. One is ahead of Miami which they are projected to use to draft Yexel and Morez Johnson with second pick. They don’t have open slots for both so something’s gotta give.
tyler should watch caruso play similar bodies its a mindset
wemby off the ct spurs no better than heat ditto sga.ss make all the difference in the world
Interesting. My strong take on this series is the complimentary players are making the difference. Jaylin, Caruso, Castle, Vassell, KJ,
good coaching on okc theyve limited wemby after game 1.
“Coaches don’t matter. It’s the players.”
~ heat for life ~
shtein helps .gotta be physical with wemby.long tall skinny those guys are ez to push around.same with ware he gets bullied all the time.coaches really dont matter in this sport like football.
wow what a blitz by pops team wow
mike tirico best announcer going now
not looking good for the defending champs.home crowd advantage working so far 10 0 go okc
NEW YORK – The NBA today announced that Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo has been named the 2025-26 NBA Social Justice Champion and will receive the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy. The NBA will also donate $100,000 to the Bam, Books & Brotherhood Foundation – consistent with the award’s history of donating to an approved charitable beneficiary selected by the winner on their behalf. Adebayo was selected from a group of five finalists for helping promote social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for communities that have been historically disadvantaged and under-resourced.
Congratulations Bam
nice guys finish last.gimme some badasses
Don’t tell Pete Sampras that. Or Wade. Or Tim Duncan.
tennis fan? u werent a mcenroe fan nastase fan
Nope. Or Connors. All really great players though.
joker had attitude nadal was firery sampras mr nice guy
Heat’s Giannis dreams were just crushed by ESPN’s asset rankings
https://allucanheat.com/heat-s-giannis-dreams-were-just-crushed-by-espn-s-asset-rankings
Here’s a few excerpts:
If Miami Heat fans were growing level of confidence in the team’s pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, an ESPN asset rankings list might just crush it all. In the article, the Heat’s assets received a tier 4 ranking, quelling all hopes fans may currently have for a trade for Giannis, or any superstar for that matter.To put the ranking into perspective, there are 17 teams listed in a higher tier than the Heat. In other words, by definition, Miami has “below-average” ranked assets compared to the rest of the league.And for any team looking to land a superstar player, that won’t help matters. Let’s just put it this way: in the eyes of ESPN, the Heat has below-average assets, hoping to land a superstar player. If the math doesn’t make sense, it shouldn’t.If the Heat does end up missing out on Giannis again, their “below-average” assets are certainly going to be a big reason why.Despite this brutal gut check from ESPN, the Heat is still all-in on Giannis. That doesn’t change. However, the odds for the Heat to emerge this offseason with a superstar were already long, and there’s no question that this asset ranking from ESPN just made it that much more difficult.If the Bucks care about optics at all, this is not good for the Heat.
if okc loses to the spurs i can see giannis on okc.wares trade value not that high because dumbot preferred jovic over ware.ware should have been playing from day 1 since he was drafted.guy has flashed wemby mannerisms at times.but sporadic use killed his value and prob his confidence
I agree. Spo and Ware do not connect. He may need to be traded elsewhere to fully reach his potential.
seemed like he got upset at ware at times but never at jovic.i just dont think spo likes the guy,he doesnt look fully motivated ware he might have the lazy bone disease
doesnt it remind u of whiteside a little bit
What did he do after the Heat? Nothing.
spo zapped his confidence got the rep as being a malcontent.very talented player with an attitude spo couldnt handle it.threw his career off tilt
Doesn’t say much for the guy if he was so fragile that he accomplished nothing after he went elsewhere.
he made his coin not highly motivated
I don’t like to compare people. Every person is different. I felt that Spo took his frustrations out on Ware almost as though he was looking for someone to blame for the team’s shortcomings. It appears Spo has been far less patient with Ware than he was with Jovic. I sometimes get the feeling Spo is punishing Ware for the mistakes he made with Jovic. I think Ware needs a coach who can unlock the door that will motivate him to be the best version of himself as a player. I’m not sure that coach is Spo. That is probably why Miami is so eager to trade him as part of a package for Giannis or any other ss.
Spo and Ware should sit down and watch film on Game 1 of both the East and West Finals and also tonight’s game. He can point out every instance where a player’s extra effort changed the outcome of a possession and a team’s cumulative extra efforts changed the outcomes of games. Spo needs to impress upon him the importance of hustling/giving 100% every play. It should also be impressed upon him that he will only reach his true potential if he becomes that kind of player.
As you and I have both said, Spo should let him feel comfortable that he is the team’s center by playing him 25-30 minutes a game. The objective with Ware is to bring him along quickly, not making his development a long, drawn out process.
If Miami does not land a whale this summer, next season should be treated as a gap year that can be used to discard/dispose of unwanted salaries, consolidate assets and allow the team’s younger players an opportunity to acquire experience, improve their skills and gain self-confidence. More playing time should be given to Ware, Larsson, Jaquez, Gardner, Jakucionis, the 13th and 41st picks and any 1st or 2nd round players drafted with picks acquired via trades. If Miami does not make the playoffs next season, it will also be able to keep its lottery protected pick. Adding another lottery player should help expedite the team’s rebuilding process.
No, he should not have played from day one. You clearly don’t remember how out of sync he was early on. But it shouldn’t have taken 40 games either.
they werent winning a champ anyway practice makes perfect.hes the second best player on team?maybe a future ss?
Like I said, waiting 40 games was way too long.
Jovic was totally benched. He didn’t even see much garbage time.
Excerpts I thought were interesting from article originally posted on Miami Heat on SI entitled: How Anthony Edwards Could Figure Into Miami Heat’s Future
…”They could be in a stronger position had they prepared differently over the last few seasons. Moving expiring contracts, acquiring additional assets, and avoiding situations where draft capital had to be attached just to move contracts could have strengthened their flexibility even more…”
…”If Miami misses out on Giannis, then the next step becomes obvious: prepare for the next opportunity. Move expiring contracts. Avoid pushing assets toward short-term moves that don’t meaningfully change the franchise’s direction. Continue building through the draft…”
…”Look at teams like the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both have positioned themselves not only as contenders today, but as organizations with long-term control over their futures. Oklahoma City has accumulated an enormous collection of draft assets and young talent, while San Antonio has assembled a core that should remain together for years.”
Trying to find a strategy to defend vs Wemby:
“What’s the profile of a player, or the profile of a defense, that he struggles with?” the Western Conference GM said rhetorically. “There’s always an area you can attack, (and) his is the strength factor. It’s better now than when he came into the league three years ago, but (still a weakness). And with OKC playing Caruso and Dort (on him), I get the thought process. But they’re just too small. Then again, your 7-1, 7-2 guys aren’t able to match up. I think you need to find someone in the 6-8, 6-10 range who’s strong and athletic. They have to be strong enough to get into his body, to force him off the block, but quick enough to keep him in front. But the answers aren’t readily available.”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7299410/2026/05/22/victor-wembanyama-nba-rosters-giannis/?source=emp_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.kVA.GoB5.ZhyaRK7BJT0w
shtein shtein more shtein
Bam. But Ware would also need to be up to snuff, which he isn’t, yet.
Giannis next team +240 Miami (29%), +320 Milwaukee (24%). Would put the Bucks close to 0%.
Hard to see how he is on Milwaukee going into next year when the owner said he will either extend or be traded, and Shams said he doesn’t want to extend there.
Multiple sources are reporting that the Heat have made an offer to the Bucks. It is as speculated.
Bucks get Herro, Ware, Jaquez, #13 pick, plus 2 future first round picks.
Heat get Giannis.
While this isn’t necessarily what I would choose to do, I promised to look for the upside whatever move is made. In this case, keeping Pelle, Kas, and the #41 pick would be good. It also would be possible, if not likely, that Powell and Wiggins both return. If so, the roster would shake out as:
Bam, Giannis, Wiggins, Powell, Mitchell.
Bench – Pelle, Kas, #41 pick, Jovic, Dru, Gardner, plus 2-3 others tbd.
Either the #41 pick or another acquisition would have to be able to play backup center.
I believe this is a starting point offer. Not likely Bucks would accept it, but if they would, its a clear win.
Exactly, they may want another young player and/or another pick, plus 2-3 pick swaps. Heat would be lucky if all they needed to do was add this year’s #41 pick.
Have you projected the costs for this line-up?
What record and what place do you think this team would end up in 2026-2027?
Who would be your back-up PF & back-up C?
Thats a bit expensive. around 215 mill.
I would say 3 to 5 seed.
starting unit best in east record 52 30.good chance to come out of east .
Top 4. Baba Miller, or the best name ever, Ugonna Onyenso. Or someone like Biyombo.
How much $?
I was going with Vagibugi above on the number.
Keep in mind, the financial guardrails for the 2026–2027 season are structured as follows:
1. Financial Penalties (Luxury Tax)
Teams pay a progressively higher tax for every dollar their payroll exceeds the luxury tax line of ($201) million.
2. The First Apron Penalties ($209 Million)
Teams exceeding this threshold face the following roster restrictions:
3. The Second Apron Penalties ($222 Million)
Teams operating above this threshold are hit with the most severe “hard” restrictions:
I have posted a number of times about the CBA, salary cap, aprons, and associated penalties, so I am generally aware of all of the above.
Again, I didn’t do the math since everything is hypothetical right now. But the Heat organization has always been very good at avoiding the repeater tax and those egregious penalties. If the Giannis deal is done, I’m sure they will manage the money issues.
I only brought it up because from what I’ve seen, there appears to be no way in hell the Arisons are going to spend $1 more than they need to have a “respectable” team. They will then expect Riley to turn lemons into lemonade. They don’t want to re-build yet they expect to win, although so many rebuilding teams around them constantly evolving and improving.
miami front runner town mickeys knows that ,ive never been into hockey like i am now.did u see the panthers champ celebration party last two years mickey did
If they get Giannis, I think the purse strings will be opened.
think giannis wants a ring rc chances of him coming here very low
I think more 50-50.
one of the richest cheapest men in the world
Not even in the top 100.
what r u top ?
Bottom 100.
There is 12 players from this draft playing more then him, half of them for crappy teams, worse then Heat. After that there are 5-6 players having similar season then him, which means that should be drafted higher then he was.
Anyway, a general feeling is he belongs. I never felt uncomfortable watching him playing or even starting games. I can hardly remember bad games from him.
The path forward is clear. Getting stronger and more physical, watch some Gorans tapes how to get to the rim.
2 down, 2 to go before we say goodbye yet again to Harden.
whos sick of ernie johnson hes washed his voice is hurting put another guy on there maybe malika andrews
Ernie is an icon. I hope he isn’t replaced.
he voice sounds that of a sad man.hes been through alot of tragedy
More reason to keep him then
Cavs really choked gm1 like Knicks did last playoffs vs Indy. It might be hard for them to recover unless they get the next 2 in Clevelend. One win will not do. Is it a Harden effect?
atkinson effect should be fired after this series james 2nd on list.
Kaspy hopefully a Dragic in the making? With defense that’s a big plus.
hopefully to early to tell on him dragic could get to the hoop this kid cant
He does gets there. He needs to improve his finishing there.
hes stoned alot turned away quite a bit,hes gonna say in the league with his j
Well, somebody may be stoned, but I don’t think it’s Kas.
He is not as fast as Dragic but he is still 20 years old so with targeted training,he can still improve his overall speed and first step. With Dragic as a mentor, he can also improve his footwork and finishing. It will all depends on his work ethics and hunger to win.
Dragic can help him with attacking the paint, play-making and build his confidence.
If you see Kas playing, he almost never goes into a body of defender. He prefer to go around without contact, which is because he is not strong enough to move most of defenders.
Goran was doing exactly that, probing into defender body to find a weak spot. Kas needs to become much stronger to do the same.
Not yet, true.
the whole knick team and most of cavs teams was done through shrewd trades and fa
OKC and SA mostly through drafts and by selling off assets for picks. They were also willing to take risks, unlike Miami f.o.
josh hart is exactly what we dont have a guy that does everything well and once in a while can get u 25pts
I think Jaime and Pelle have the potential to be similar players. I sure hope Miami doesn’t get rid of our young core. Heat spent too much time and effort developing them to gift them to another team to reap the rewards.
Whale hunting is for losers. If a whale wants you, they will come looking for you. No need to lower yourself to begging. FTS!
i never see jjj pelle hitting the boards like hart.
Jaquez has better ppg, Hart has better rpg, similar apg. The difference is Jaquez does it as 6th man and Hart as a starter.
harts d much better than jjj.when u have jb kat og bridges your 5 th option.put hart on heat hed get u 15-17 pts,harts betterall round player than jjj or pelle
Yes he is. But remember, he’s been around much longer and makes $20.9M, which is more than twice their annual salaries combined ($8,235,411).
He needs to focus more on assists, that’s his strength
Absolutely.