Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra likes how rookie Kasparas Jakučionis has approached his time in the G League and the impact he has made with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Jakučionis, who has logged only 54 seconds with the Heat, missed the start of the season because of a right groin strain sustained in the preseason. Out of the rotation, he has spent extensive time with the Skyforce to log consistent minutes against high-level competition.
The organization wants Jakučionis to play as much as possible as part of his development plan. The group believes those G League assignments with the Skyforce will serve as an excellent opportunity for him to get up to speed on the court.
“He has played well,” Spoelstra said. “The most important thing is that I told him that I’m not really going to evaluate his play right now. He works extremely hard. He is very dedicated. We just want to get him the game minutes, as many as possible, and stack up those games.”
Jakučionis is averaging 16.6 points, 5.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals on 32.6% shooting from 3-point range in eight appearances with the Skyforce. He has scored in double figures in each game, including a 25-point effort on Nov. 29.
The 19-year-old was highly touted out of Illinois thanks to his ability to score at all three levels, playmaking, vision and passing. He was voted as the biggest steal of the draft in the annual survey of general managers released in October.
Jakučionis has impressed the team with his competitiveness, intensity and motor to begin the season. The team is high on his potential and is eager to see his continued development.
“Right now, it is just about gaining experience,” Spoelstra said. “Put that with the work ethic, and we’ll see where this lands in the second half of the season, and then we’ll start evaluating him a little bit more. I don’t want him to feel any kind of pressure when he goes there. He is a winning player. He makes things happen. There is a reason why we drafted him: We like the skill set that he has.”