Jakucionis' 24-point breakout overshadows Heat loss to Hawks in summer league

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Jul 11, 2025

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LAS VEGAS — The Miami Heat’s opening game at the Las Vegas NBA Summer League was decided in the first quarter.

Technically the 105-98 loss Friday to the Atlanta Hawks at Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus played out for the full 40 minutes.

But the Heat saw what they wanted to see, what they needed to see in that opening 10-minute period.

That’s when first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis, he of the ultimate struggles in the first of the Heat’s two summer leagues, immediately allayed concerns.

By hitting his first 3-point attempt.

And his second.

And this third.

And kept going from there, in what turned into a 24-point performance by the 6-foot-6 guard.

For the No. 20 pick out of Illinois it was NBA validation a week in the making, after struggling mightily in the California Classic in San Francisco … when there wasn’t a single 3-point conversion, but plenty of misses of all varieties.

Essentially, that made all else moot, overshadowing another uninspiring effort by center Kel’el Ware, as well as quality Heat contributions from Pelle Larsson and Javonte Cooke.

Ware closed with 10 points and six rebounds, hardly a dominant presence. Larsson had 16 points built on a 9-of-11 effort from the foul line.

Cooke, a guard who went undrafted in 2023 out of Winston-Salem and has played the past two seasons in the G League, scored 18, with four 3-pointers, stating a case for a possible two-way deal.

Five Degree of Heat from Friday’s game:

— 1. For starters: The Heat returned to what essentially is their primary summer lineup, with Ware back after being held out of Tuesday’s finale of the California Classic.

Also starting for the Heat were Larsson, Jakucionis, Keshad Johnson and Kira Lewis Jr., the journeyman veteran NBA guard.

Jakucionis has now appeared in all four of the Heat’s summer-league games, with Larsson and Johnson and Lewis, like Ware, each given a game off at the California Classic.

Johnson was uneven, finishing with nine points, three rebounds and eight fouls.

— 2. Finding rhythm: After going 1 of 15 from the field, including 0 for 11 on 3-pointers, during his three appearances in San Francisco, Jakucionis drained his first four 3-point attempts, fouled also during an intervening attempt from beyond the arc and making those three free throws.

After scoring 12 points in his three appearances in San Francisco, Jakucionis had 14 in the first quarter alone Friday.

Jakucionis’ first quarter also featured two rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Jakucionis was on the court more than 90 minutes before tip-off, seemingly far more at ease than during his debut games at the California Classic.

— 3. Ware Lite: Typically, returning starters from the previous season generally are featured in only a handful of summer games.

But more seemingly now is needed from Ware, who again found himself playing down to the competition, just as he did in his two appearances in San Francisco.

To a degree, Ware was outhustled by former FAU center Vlad Golden, the undrafted 7-footer on a Heat two-way contract, who closed with 11 points.

— 4. Support system: Erik Spoelstra, Chris Quinn, Malik Allen and Octavio De La Grana were among the Heat coaches sitting opposite the Heat bench.

In addition, Udonis Haslem transitioned from his ESPN work to pregame time with Ware and Jakucionis, then took a seat alongside the Heat coaches.

Interviewed during ESPN’s broadcast, Spoelstra said of the Heat addition of Norman Powell, “Really excited about the addition of Norm. We’ve competed against him for a long time. When he was in Toronto, we had some great battles when he was a young player. just the competitive spirit, the toughness that he brings. that’s the part we really liked about him initially. But then the scoring boost, there’s no doubt about it, we need it, his ability to get downhill.

“He’s a great catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. He’s ignitable like we like to say. Can put points on the board in a hurry. He fits with the guys we have. We don’t think that will be a concern at all. I’m excited to have his personality and competitiveness with our group.”

Spoelstra also spoke of Jakucionis’ stout defensive play throughout summer league, calling the struggles in San Francisco, “a good teaching point.”

— 5. Up next: The Heat return to practice Saturday before a Sunday 7:30 p.m. Eastern game against the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA TV) and a Monday 8 p.m. Eastern game against the Boston Celtics (ESPNU).

The Heat then conclude their set schedule on Thursday at 4 p.m. Eastern against the Detroit Pistons’ summer roster (NBA TV), with at least one additional game in Vegas to be added as the playoff round begins.