MIAMI — For the first time since 2005, the Miami Heat have made a first-round pick in the NBA draft for a fourth consecutive year.
The streak of selections continued Wednesday night with the Heat selecting Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis at the No. 20 draft slot acquired from the Golden State Warriors at the Feb. 6 NBA trading deadline in the Jimmy Butler trade.
The addition of the 6-foot-6 passing playmaker who was expected to go earlier continues a youth movement of Heat first-round selections Nikola Jovic (2022), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (2023) and Kel’el Ware (2024).
The last time the Heat made first-round selections in four consecutive years was when they went with Caron Butler in 2002, Dwyane Wade in 2003, Dorell Wright in 2004 and Wayne Simien in 2005.
The Heat’s own pick Wednesday night previously had been dealt, with the Oklahoma City Thunder utilizing that No. 15 selection on Georgetown big man Thomas Sorber.
Going ahead of the Heat’s selection at No. 20 were Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Jeremiah Fears, Egor Demin, Collin Murray-Boyles, Khaman Maluach, Cedric Coward, Noa Essengue, Derik Queen, Carter Bryant, Sorber, Hansen Yang, Joan Beringer, Walter Clayton Jr. and Nolan Traore.
Clayton, who went to the Utah Jazz at No. 18, was among those who had strongly been linked to the Heat ahead of the draft.
Among those also still on the board when the Heat selected at No. 20 were, Liam McNeeley, Jase Richardson, Nique Clifford, Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf, Will Riley, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Asa Newell, Rasheer Fleming, Drake Powell and Maxime Raynaud.
Of Jakucionis, ESPN evaluated ahead of the draft, “Among the most polished pick-and-roll playmakers in this class, Jakucionis flashed a promising blend of size, feel, vision and toughness for much of the season. Though the scrutiny of carrying an offense through the rigorous Big Ten slate at 18 years old took a toll on him at times, the talent he flashed in his brightest moments leaves considerable room for optimism around his NBA transition.”
Of Jakucionis, Yahoo’s scouting report read, “A slick shot-creator with a creative passing gene and a fearless scoring ability, carving up defenses with crafty finishes, step-back jumpers, and jaw-dropping passes. But as a freshman he’d follow up those highlights with turnover brain-farts that derail the hype train.”
And in its scouting report, The Athletic wrote, “Jakučionis is a tremendously skilled basketball player, who can dribble, pass, shoot, process the game at a high level and has good positional size. Think of something in this respect like a better passing Bogdan Bogdanovic. Jakučionis is also a truly special passer.”
In the NBA’s draft guide, Illinois teammate Ben Humrichous was quoted as saying, “It’s really fun to play with KJ. He has a really, really great knack for finding shooters when they’re open. If you watch him, he does a really great job of manipulating the defense with his eyes. When you’re with KJ, it’s just always staying ready — ready to shoot.”
On a night there had been an expected flurry of trades, possibly including the Heat at No. 20, there largely was limited immediate activity involving non-draft players.
Among the deals on Wednesday night was the Charlotte Hornets sending center Mark Williams to the Phoenix Suns for Wednesday night’s No. 29 pick and a 2029 first-round pick. There also was additional shuffling of current and future picks elsewhere in the first round.
The Heat currently do not have a selection in Thursday night’s second round, with that pick dealt in 2019 to the Indiana Pacers in a draft-night deal for second-round pick KZ Okpala, who currently is out of the NBA.
The second round of the draft, back at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, begins at 8 p.m. Thursday.