Miami Heat teenager is doing something not even Luka Doncic has

There were questions about the shot coming into the draft.

They were reasonable questions, after a season at Illinois in which the effiiencey was far from elite. Add that to some turnover issues, and while the Miami Heat’s selection of Kasparas Jakucionis was widely praised, it appeared that it would take some time for him to ready to contribute at the NBA level. Add to that a choppy summer league stint in Sacramento, and really only one strong overall game in Las Vegas, and we didn’t necessarily expect to see this now.

But injuries to Tyler Herro and others have created opportunity, and the 19-year-old has seized it. He was really the only bright spot in an embarrassing home loss Monday to tanking Utah, and was entrusted with the final shot. That one, from the left corner, was just off, but it came after he had made six others from deep, following on going a sublime 6-for-6 in a road rout of Washington the day before.

How rare is it for Jakucionis to be shooting as he is.

Consider that only one teenager in NBA history has made more three-pointers over a two-game span than Jakucionis just did, with the Heat guard getting a dozen. That was Chicago’s Coby White, who needed a lot more attempts (eight) to get to 13.

Luka Doncic hit 11 in a two-game span as a teenager.

Anthony Edwards hit 10 in three separate two-game spans as a teenager.

But only 16 times in a total has any teenager recorded double digit threes over two games… and none have missed fewer than Jakucionis’s four.

More to his game

What’s most remarkable about this is that Jakucionis, even with solid shooting form, was not heralded as a catch-and-shoot assassin coming into the league. His best skill is still his vision and passing, and he’s been much less turnover-prone than feared — just 0.9 per 16.7 minutes in his appearances so far. He’s not playing on the ball as much as in college, and the Heat aren’t leaning into his strongest play sets, mostly involving pick-and-rolls.

Still, he’s making an impact on offense, and that has come with dogged defense, much more advanced than the average NBA entry his age. His issue so far has been finishing, which is why he’s shooting a much higher percentage from three-point distances than from two.

To elevate his game further, he will need to show the ability to probe the paint without screens, and then find a way to get all the way to the rim and get more layups to go. But the threat of the jumper should get teams to chase him more, and that could create additional opportunities.

What’s readily apparent now is the rookie must keep getting expanded opportunities, on a team with nothing to lose and no one quite like him.