The Miami Heat are looking forward to the 2025-2026 season, keen to build on their first-round playoff exit this past year and establish a dynasty like they once did. The climb is daunting, but things are looking great for the franchise.
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Rookie Kasparas Jakucionis will be a key piece in that journey. The 19-year-old Lithuanian spoke about his upcoming NBA debut during a recent interview on The OGs.
Kasparas began by detailing his days growing up, and how he chose to watch basketball in Europe rather than in the States. Why? Simply because that’s all they had in Lithuania.
“Growing up, I watched more European basketball just because of [the] time difference. We didn’t have channels to watch [the] NBA. They wouldn’t like [to] translate it, you know? Maybe some YouTube highlights you would watch, but that’s the only thing that was possible. When I was older, I started to watch more NBA,” said the University of Illinois alum.
The show hosts, Heat legends Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, asked Kasparas who the first NBA player was that he started following. His answer, unsurprisingly, was Luka Doncic, the current face of the league and icon for Europeans everywhere.
“When Luka was in Madrid, I watched him a lot. Now that he’s transitioned, when he got drafted, I watch him the most,” stated Kasparas.
The group then geeked out over The Don’s incredible skills on the hardwood. “The playmaking, watching shot creation, all that kind of stuff,” added Jakucionis.
It’s always a treat to see young players speak about the person who inspired them to pursue professional basketball. Jakucionis not only idolized Luka but also nearly followed in his footsteps. Just that, instead of Madrid, he went to play basketball in Barcelona.
“When I was in Barcelona, I got a chance to work with all the professional guys, and almost all of them were in the NBA at some point,” said Jakucionis, before explaining why he eventually chose to attend college in the U.S. rather than continue the professional grind in Europe.
“I wanted to be more into U.S. culture. Closer to the NBA. The competition in college is pretty good because everybody is hungry,” added Jakucionis.
Of course, opting to play in the NCAA took Jakucionis through a different path than what Doncic took. But Kasparas seemed quite pleased with the decision. He flourished at Illinois, too, averaging 15.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in the 2024-2025 season. This made him a standout for this year’s draft.
The Heat scooped him up with the 20th overall pick, and he’ll look to make an immediate impact on an offense that stagnated in the postseason. With young talent like Kel’el Ware, whom the Heat have deemed untouchable in trade talks, and experienced vets like Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, Miami could be a surprise package in a severely depleted Eastern Conference this upcoming season.
There’s plenty of time for Kasparas. Like No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, he’s a young boy in a man’s league. He’ll probably need a few games to shake off the nerves, but if he follows Doncic’s footsteps the way he claimed, he is bound to adjust to the league naturally.
