Newcomer Kasparas Jakucionis is already familiar with the culture. The Heat selected Jakucionis with the No. 20 pick out of Illinois in the 2025 NBA Draft.

“Kasparas Jakucionis to the Heat at No. 20. Former Miami guard Goran Dragic has been my comparison for Jakucionis if things go right,” Pelton explained.

Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who starred for Illinois basketball for one season, was selected by the Miami Heat at No. 20 in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Newcomer Kasparas Jakucionis is already familiar with the culture. The Heat selected Jakucionis with the No. 20 pick out of Illinois in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Related: Bill Simmons Blasts Nets for Overlooking Kasparas Jakucionis, Highlights Heat's Draft Day Luck This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.

Yahoo Sports' Draft Live crew reacts to the Miami Heat’s selection of Illinois guard Kasparas Jakučionis with the 20th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Brad Penner Brad Penner-Imagn Images The Miami Heat didn’t expect Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis to still be available when it picked at No. 20 in the first round of the NBA Draft.

The Miami Heat select Kasparas Jakučionis with the 20th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25. Jakučionis averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. He was on the 2024-25 All-Big ...

Kasparas Jakucionis could be a top ten pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft first round. (Photo Credits: IMAGN) Yes, the Illinois standout is draft eligible and chose to enter the draft. The 6-foot-6 ...

Heat's Kasparas Jakucionis: Taken by Miami By RotoWire Staff Jun 25, 2025 at 10:41 pm ET • 1 min read ...

For all the months, even years, of scouting, sometimes there is no pretense about how the NBA draft also can be an act of simplicity. That proved to be the case for the Miami Heat with Kasparas Jak… ...