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Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) drives the ball as Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) defends in the first half of their NBA game at Kaseya Center on Jan. 28, 2026, in Miami.<\/p>\n
Photo by Matias J. Ocner<\/p>\n
mocner@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
CLEVELAND<\/p>\n
One of the biggest revelations of the Miami Heat\u2019s season may have happened during an optional workout in Cleveland State University Gym on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Heat rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis put on a dunking show during the workout, leaving his coaches and teammates in shock.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had never seen him dunk before and I always give him s—,\u201d said Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., who took part in the NBA\u2019s 2024 Slam Dunk Contest. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Dude, can you dunk, can you dunk?\u2019 So when I saw that, I was like, \u2018Oh my God. Like what? No way.\u2019 It\u2019s pretty impressive to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jakucionis\u2019 windmill dunk and spinning dunk on Thursday came as a surprise because he has yet to throw down an in-game dunk in his first NBA season. In fact, Jakucionis completed just one in-game dunk during his lone college season at Illinois.<\/p>\n
Jakucionis, 19, downplayed Thursday\u2019s dunking exhibition when asked about it following Friday\u2019s morning shootaround in Cleveland. With the Heat\u2019s social media team posting a video of the dunks, Jakucionis joked that the video is fake.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s AI. 100%,\u201d Jakucionis said before Friday night\u2019s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. \u201cI think AI is kind of getting out of hand now, and it\u2019s hard to tell what\u2019s real and what\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Jakucionis has completed just one in-game dunk since moving to the United States, he made sure to make it known Friday that he threw down more than a few dunks during his three-year stint in Barcelona before heading to Illinois for college.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know why they didn\u2019t believe in me,\u201d Jakucionis said when asked about surprising Heat coaches and teammates in attendance for Thursday\u2019s workout. \u201cAll year I was telling them that I can dunk. But I wouldn\u2019t show because I would like to just keep it a secret. But yeah, no one believed in me here. I think all the haters here, Jaime [Jaquez Jr.] didn\u2019t believe in me, [Simone Fontecchio], no one. No one believed in me, so I kind of just had to prove them wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite not getting any dunks yet this season, Jakucionis has earned the trust of his teammates and coaches as a rookie. He has logged double-digit minutes in 20 straight games leading into Friday\u2019s contest in Cleveland after playing only 53.7 seconds in the NBA through the Heat\u2019s first 26 games of the season.<\/p>\n
Now, the next step for Jakucionis is to get his first NBA in-game dunk. There\u2019s only two weeks left in the regular season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. We\u2019ll see,\u201d Jakucionis said when asked if he\u2019ll get his first NBA in-game dunk during his rookie season. \u201cIt depends on the opportunities and how I feel that day, and if I get the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
JAQUEZ AVAILABLE<\/p>\n
The Heat upgraded Jaquez from questionable to probable and eventually to available for Friday\u2019s game against the Cavaliers.<\/p>\n
Jaquez is dealing with a sprained right ankle that he suffered when he stepped on Cavaliers guard James Harden\u2019s foot during Wednesday\u2019s win in Cleveland.<\/p>\n
Jaquez left Wednesday\u2019s game with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter and didn\u2019t return. He totaled 14 points and five assists in 19 minutes off the Heat\u2019s bench before exiting the contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was definitely painful,\u201d Jaquez said after Friday\u2019s morning shootaround. \u201cIt never is pleasant rolling an ankle. Initially the pain is pretty severe, but after a little bit it kind of winds down. So that\u2019s kind of what happened. I went back, retaped, but we were already in such a good groove and the guys were out there playing so great.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Jaquez will play on Friday, the Heat remains without Vlad Goldin (G League), Trevor Keels (G League), Jahmir Young (G League) and Terry Rozier (not with team).<\/p>\n
The Cavaliers are getting starting center Jarrett Allen back for Friday\u2019s matchup against the Heat. Allen missed the previous 10 games due to right knee tendonitis.<\/p>\n
But the Cavaliers ruled out Tristan Enaruna (G League), Craig Porter Jr. (left groin strain), Jaylon Tyson (left great toe bone bruise) and Dean Wade (right ankle sprain).<\/p>\n
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 1:04 PM.<\/p>\n
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