The International Heat Wave Sweeping Miami's Locker Room

Basketball is growing quicker than it ever has before. French players were drafted No. 1 in back-to-back season prior to 2025 and had six first-round draft picks represent them in 2024. An American player hasn't won the NBA's MVP award since James Harden in 2018. The All-Star Game in 2026 will feature The World vs. USA as well. The game is growing and the NBA is embracing it.

The Miami Heat are also embracing the game's growth outside the United States and they're using it to their advantage. They've ventured beyond borders for a few seasons now. Serbian forward Nikola Jovic and Swedish guard Pelle Larson were drafted in 2022 and 2024. Jovic and Larson also played 26 minutes per game and 14 minutes per game. The scouting department's work is not going to waste.

The Heat's front office continued implementing this strategy on draft night. They drafted Lithuanian guard, Kasparas Jakučionis, at No. 20 last week and expected him to be off the board by then.

"We didn't think he'd be there...You’re talking about a 6-5 guard with a plus-three, good athlete but with a high IQ. So if you combine all those things with a work ethic, there’s no reason why you can’t mold him into a very good NBA player," Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon said.

The former Illinois guard averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in his one collegiate season.

Russian center Vladislav Goldin was signed by the Heat after the draft to a two-way contract. Goldin was the No. 2-ranked undrafted free agent on the ESPN Top 100 Big Board (No. 49 overall) and was the starting center for Florida Atlantic University's Final Four team in 2023. In his final season at Michigan, he averaged 16.6 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.

Canadian-born Andrew Wiggins brings Miami's international total to 5. The Miami Heat expect this strategy to pay off in the form of wins, but it's also clear they're continuing to build a culture centered around grit and playing the team-oriented style of basketball that international players are already very used to playing in before arriving in Miami.