THE MIAMI Heat found themselves a bargain in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft in Chicago last month, making the most of their sole selection by adding a talented international point guard for the future.

The Heat faced a troublesome season dealing with the trade request of star forward Jimmy Butler, who was eventually dealt to the Golden State Warriors. Miami still managed to make the play-in but was convincingly bested in the first round, instead looking forwards to the draft.

Despite taking just one pick into proceedings, the Heat can be happy with their haul for the 2025 intake, improving their frontcourt for the future by selecting a high-upside guard who can be a key piece of their next championship team.

Miami Heat

Drafted Players

Kasparas Jakucionis (pick 20)

The Heat have struggled to lock down the point guard position for the past few years since the departure of Kyle Lowry, with Tyler Herro forced to play out of position for most of last season in a less-than-ideal situation.

However, the Heat changed all of that when they drafted Jakucionis, who was projected to be a lottery selection but fell to Miami’s pick at 20, and although he is currently struggling with the team in the Summer League, should still be a strong player for the future.

The Lithuanian draftee played NCAA basketball with the Illinois Fighting Illini and made a name for himself as a creative point guard who can score the rock himself or find his teammates with some eye-catching passes.

A playmaking point guard would be an ideal fit for the Heat, and will open up scoring opportunities for the likes of Herro, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins, while Jakucionis is perfectly capable of hitting the scoreboard himself.

He has plenty of upside as a shooter, showing impressive shooting mechanics despite nailing just 31 per cent of his triples with the Fighting Illini. Jakucionis should develop nicely into a three-level scorer and become a key contributor on the offensive end for the Heat.

One knock on his game is the fact that he can be a bit careless with ball in hand, forcing some tricky passes and turning the ball over more than he would like. If he can tidy up this area, it will make him a much stronger prospect.

The Heat have locked in their point guard of the future with Jakucionis, who could develop into a core piece of their offence in the coming years and looms as a central figure in their backcourt moving forward.