Heat’s Erik Spoelstra Sends Message on Kasparas Jakucionis

Kasparas Jakucionis has endured an inconsistent start to his life in the NBA. The Miami Heat rookie struggled throughout the California Classic, and has blown hot and cold during his time in Las Vegas Summer League.

During an on-air broadcast interview with Erik Spoelstra on July 11, the Heat head coach explained why he believes Jakucionis’ tough outings in the California Classic were good for his development.

“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.”

Spoelstra continued.

“Sometimes, that can take the confidence away from a player, but he still found a way to impact the game, impact winning.”

During his time in Vegas, Jakucionis has shown flashes of the high-level talent the Heat believes he can become. His offensive game is well-rounded, and his playmaking could become a key aspect of Miami’s system moving forward. As such, his early struggles will likely be put down to growing pains. After all, he’s in the infancy of his NBA career.

Heat’s Jakucionis Speaks on His Struggles

When speaking with Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Jakucionis gave an honest assessment of his performances during his first taste of professional-level basketball during the California Classic.

“I think I need to settle in more, play at my own pace, don’t get sped up much as I was in these 3 games,” Jakucionis said. “I didn’t feel myself in those games, but I think that’s normal. It’s a process, so I’m just happy to be here, be able learn from coaches, from other guys by working out, watching film and understanding the game.”

Jakucionis continued.

“I think I’m just not in a rhythm. I’m just trying to get back in a rhythm after all the process I had. So I’m just trying to get back to myself and just trying to execute as hard as I can. When I go to the court, I just give 100%. Even if I don’t do the best on offense, I try to give 100% on defense and just try to help the team to win.”

Despite his struggles, Heat fans should still be excited for Jakucionis. He has significant upside and could potentially become a core member of Spoelstra’s next great Heat team. Unfortunately, given his offense-first mindset, his growth is likely to be ugly at times. Still, he projects to be the type of player worth sticking with.

Jakucionis Excited to Play With Heat Stars

Shortly after being drafted, Jakucionis shared his excitement at the opportunity to play with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.

“The playmaking ability is what I do,” Jakucionis said. “I’m just grateful to play with guys like Bam Adebayo. We can play together in pick-and-rolls. And Tyler Herro and all those kinds of players. I’m just very happy and grateful to be in this place…I’m so excited. 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.”

It’s unclear whether Jakucionis will spend much time in the primary rotation to begin the season. However, judging by his upside, scoring ability and playmaking, it should be too long until he’s teeing up Herro of coming off an Adebayo screen.

There’s a lot to be excited about with the rookie, even if the first impressions were hard to watch.