Advertisement - scroll for more content
While discussing his childhood hero, Kasparas Jakučionis’ eyes lit up and his smile widened. The Miami Heat rookie already appeared in a good mood when he discussed overcoming early shooting struggles in the California Classic with strong performances in Las Vegas Summer League. When he reflected on watching LeBron James growing up, it seems that Jakučionis will most look forward to when the Heat play the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024-25 season. “When I was little, he was my hero,” Jakučionis told Sportskeeda about James. “He’s a complete basketball player. He does everything for the team to win. He’s a winning guy. He’s involving other players in the game. He can score whenever he wants. He defends. Basically, he is the true leader.”
What explained your improvement with your shooting from the Cali Classic to the games in Vegas? Jakučionis: “It’s basketball. One day, you miss. Another day, you make. I’m working on that. That is one of the keys for me to improve. I’ve been working every day on it.”
The Heat’s biggest move this offseason — up to this point — is its trade for veteran guard Norman Powell, who was among six NBA players who averaged at least 21 points per game while shooting better than 48% from the field and better than 40% from three-point range last regular season. “We know we have to improve,” Spoelstra continued. “We knew we had to do some things this offseason. We know that we have to have a really good training camp, which I think we will. Guys are going to come in prepared. We’ll have a productive August and September. Everybody is motivated. We’ve had plenty of time off. Everybody wants to just gear up and get ready.”
Spoelstra is also looking into the Heat’s in-game collapses, as Miami blew a double-digit lead in a league-leading 22 losses last regular season. The Heat also wasted a fourth-quarter lead in a league-leading 21 losses last regular season. “Those close games are something that we’ve really analyzed,” Spoelstra said while in Las Vegas for summer league action, which the Heat will wrap up Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks’ summer squad (7 p.m. ESPN+). “That can change the trajectory of your season if you handle those moments of truth better, if you have a few more wins out of those groupings of games that were very winnable with fourth-quarter leads and that kind of stuff. The whole league is trying to figure that out. But that has given us something to really dive into. And then offensively, building a system where it can be dynamic and a little bit tougher to just prepare for if you’re on the other side.”
Advertisement
But Wade expanded on that three-word endorsement of Powell this week on the latest episode of his show, “Time Out with Dwyane Wade.” “He’s a great piece, man,” Wade said on his show. “Y’all know how good Norman is. He was an All-Star this year out there in the West. So for the Heat to be able to get a player like that with Bam [Adebayo], with Tyler [Herro] as the No. 1 and No. 2 options, all right. Let’s go.”
It’s also somewhat of a full-circle moment for Wade, who ran into Powell in France during a sports marketing event in mid-June. “We got a chance to just rap on the street real quick, just a little vibe,” Wade said on “The Time Out with Dwyane Wade.” “Then I think I was golfing and I come back and I got a text on my phone and he’s just like, ‘Yo, big bro, I’m on my way. I’m going down to Miami. I can’t wait to put a jersey on.’ And I’m like, ‘Who is this?’” It was Powell reaching out to alert Wade about the news.
The Los Angeles Clippers traded Powell to the Heat just two and a half weeks after their chance encounter. “I know how much of an inspiration that he took from the player that I was,” Wade said. “Being a guy who’s in that 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4 compact, quick, explosive. He’s taken pieces of different people’s game, of course, and he’s given me some love for what he saw that I did that he has utilized in his own game. So it’s cool to have that connection. “It’s a dream for him to put that jersey on because he grew up watching one of his favorite players play in that jersey. So it’s going to be an emotional night for him, I’m sure, when he actually gets out there and actually puts that jersey on. It’s cool.”
Lakers, Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves showed interest in Bradley Beal over recent weeks
Personnel across several other teams -- including the Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers, sources said -- pursued Bradley Beal and had extensive conversations with him and Bartelstein in recent weeks.
Dwyane Wade: Y’all know how good Norman is. He was an All-Star this year out there in the West. And so, for the Heat to be able to get a player like that with Bam with Tyler, as the one-two options, like, all right, great! All right, let's go. Dorell Wright: He's a Heat culture guy. He spoke on that when he got traded and talked about him going to Miami that he's Heat culture. He checks all the boxes. He checks all the boxes for a Heat guy.
Advertisement
“Very, very good experience for me,” Larsson said of his summer league on-ball opportunities. “I’m going to have more of it this summer with the national team, as well. So I just got to keep growing with that. I had too many, maybe, lapses of focus handling the ball. But it’s a great learning experience.”
Dwyane Wade gives advice to Kel'el Ware: If you want to listen to anybody, you listen to Spo
Anthony Chiang: Dwyane Wade spoke about Kel'el Ware on the latest episode of his show, "Time Out with Dwyane Wade": "If you want to listen to anybody, you listen to Spo. If young fella wants to be great, buy in. Buy into what they’re selling."
Ware has done that since Spoelstra called him out, totaling 20 paint points and 24 rebounds over his last two summer league games. He contributed 22 paint points and 16 rebounds in his first three summer league appearances. “It’s just something that I got to bring every day and like I said, ‘I will,’” Ware made clear.
Ware closed last season as the Heat’s starting center, establishing himself as one of the league’s top rookies on his way to earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. “When I do it, it’s more of a presence that’s being felt out there,” said Ware, who was taken by the Heat with the 15th overall pick in last year’s draft. “I just got to bring it, that’s it. Plain and simple.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement