![\"Kasparas](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-7-25-8.52AM-edited-1024x768.jpg\")
(Mandatory Credit: Issac Baldizon\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n(Mandatory Credit: Issac Baldizon\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Even though the Miami Heat drafted Kasparas Jakucionis No. 20 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, he wasn\u2019t expected to fall that far.<\/p>\n
Despite suffering a midseason arm injury, the Illinois alum was one of the best freshmen in college basketball last season, averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 44.0 percent shooting, including 31.8 percent from 3-point range and 84.5 percent from the free-throw line.<\/p>\n
His lack of raw athleticism likely factored into his slide, but it was still an unexpected turn that nobody foresaw. In an interview with BasketNews\u2019 Edvinas Jablonskis, new Heat teammate Nikola Jovic \u2014 who watched Jakucionis closely at Illinois \u2014 recently revealed that he was shocked, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI followed him in college because he played with my really good friend Tomislav Ivisic, and that\u2019s why I watched his game,\u201d Jovic said. <\/a>\u201cI was really surprised when we drafted him because I really thought he was going to be like a Top 10 pick.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s for sure a good pick for us. He\u2019s a great player. I haven\u2019t really talked to him, but I can\u2019t wait to see him play. And I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be a great piece for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Me too, Nikola. Me too. (He was a top-8 player on my board!)<\/p>\n Jakucionis\u2019 Summer League magnified some of the concerns about his athleticism \u2014 or lack thereof \u2014 but he was still impactful. Despite not scoring the ball well (9.5 points in six games), Jakucionis was active at the point-of-attack defensively, on the glass and consistently read the floor well, even if it didn\u2019t exactly translate to the \u201cassist\u201d category on the box score.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t let his inefficient shooting affect the rest of his game. That\u2019s all you could ask for from a 19-year-old getting his first taste of NBA basketball, even if it\u2019s just a droplet.<\/p>\n Jakucionis is likely beginning the season on the outside-looking-in, in terms of fighting for a rotation spot. There\u2019s a world where he earns (consistent?) playing time throughout the season. Though given the Heat\u2019s roster imbalance, his rookie rock climb became a little more shaky.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n To check out our other content, click\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter\/X\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Subscribe to our YouTube channel\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t\t\t