LAS VEGAS- The first three Summer League games for Kasparas Jakučionis came in the California Classic, and it couldn’t have gone much worse for him. He finished with a total of 12 points and 12 turnovers while shooting 1-of-15 from the floor during his three appearances in San Francisco.
That poor play didn’t carry over to Vegas.
He scored 14 points in the first quarter alone and had 19 at halftime, which included four three-pointers. He scored in a variety of ways, including some strong finishes at the basket, catch-and-shoot threes and a pair of triples off the dribble.
“I think I was a little bit more aggressive on the offensive end,” Jakučionis said. “You know, it’s a process and it’s usually a long process. And it takes some time just getting to know everybody, getting to know yourself during these games. And just try to learn and try to do the best I can.”
Jakučionis, who was projected to be a lottery pick ahead of the draft, fell to the Heat with the 20th overall selection last month. Miami hasn’t made many moves this offseason, but they did trade for Norman Powell, which means that Jakučionis will likely join Davion Mitchell in filling out the backcourt minutes off the bench during his rookie season.
Jakučionis’ hot start didn’t stretch into the second half, but he did hit a late corner three that brought Miami within three points. He also set up multiple clean looks from deep for his teammates late in the game that would’ve given them a chance to win. They ended up losing 105-98 to the Hawks, and he finished with 24 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and five three-pointers. While Jakučionis was much improved, he acknowledged that there is still plenty of room for him to grow.
“Basketball is a lot more than just shooting,” Jakučionis said. “It felt good, yeah, but you know, eventually we still lost, I didn’t do a great job on the other side, like, rebounding, getting on transition defense. So, yeah, but, definitely feels better with a good shot.”
Summer League isn’t a reliable indicator of how successful a player will be in the NBA, but it was encouraging to see Jakučionis respond to a poor three-game stretch with a big-time performance on Friday. Seeing improvement over the course of Summer League is a great sign for a young player, and Jakučionis said that he will “watch more and more film” to help him adjust to the pace of play in the NBA.
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