Heat use No. 20 pick on Kasparas Jakucionis
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The Miami Heat selected guard Kasparas Jakucionis with the 20th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday.
Jakucionis, 19, began his basketball career in Lithuania before joining Barcelona's youth academy. He made three appearances for the European giant's main squad before heading to Illinois for one season of college basketball.
He was 15th in points per game and sixth in assists in the Big Ten. As a result, Jakucionis earned All-Big Ten third-team honors and was named to the conference's All-Freshman team.
Bio
Position: Guard
School: Illinois
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 205 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-7
Max vertical: 35 inches
2024-25 statistics at Illinois
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 44 | 31.8 | 84.5 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 15 |
Jakucionis is an elite passer and may be the best pick-and-roll creator in this draft class. He's a crafty finisher around the basket, converting 68% of his shots at the rim, and he's a much better shooter than his 3-point average would suggest; Jakucionis shot 41.4% from three before injuring his forearm in January.
NBA comparison: Brandin Podziemski. Like Podziemski, Jakucionis may initially play off the ball until he gets more comfortable running an NBA offense. His size, processing ability, and tenacity should earn him minutes early in his career. While his turnovers are problematic, they tend to originate from a weak handle rather than poor decision-making, which can be improved. A below-average first step probably limits Jakucionis's overall potential, but he could develop into a high-level starter.