The Miami Heat went 2-1 during the California Classic to jump-start their NBA Summer League. On the surface, the Heat beat Golden State and San Antonio by double digits, and all is well.
But it's a combination of Kasparas Jakučionis struggling mightily, combined with the player Miami got outmaneuvered for excelling, that is leaving Heat fans wondering if Miami was too passive during the draft.
Miami draft target Walter Clayton Jr. is lighting it up in NBA Summer League
It's not a secret that Florida Gator guard Walter Clayton Jr. was trying to telegraph his way to the Miami Heat. It would have kept Clayton closer to family in Lake Wales, and he fit the profile of a player that Miami desperately needed.
Everything was going according to plan until pick No. 18, when the Utah Jazz traded up from pick No. 21 to leapfrog Miami and take Clayton.
Miami pivoted to take Jakučionis with the No. 20, and while it may have seemed like a steal at the time, it's the Jazz that look like the big draft winners after three games of Summer League.
Jakučionis has struggled hard with his Miami debut. He has been a turnover machine who can't seem to blow past guys to get to the rim. He has also yet to make a three-point shot, and if you didn't know who Jakučionis was prior to Summer League, you would just assume he is some G-League lifer that Miami has out there because they needed a warm body.
Clayton, meanwhile, has looked great. He has been confident on the ball, has showcased the shooting touch that led Florida to a national title, but has also demonstrated that he is an above-average distributor who doesn't feel the need to force things.
We would be remiss if we didn't point out that Utah had the draft capital to make the move three spots up, while Miami is still in the business of trying to acquire capital to make moves down the road.
This could all just be growing pains for Jakučionis, and by this time next year, his Summer League nightmare could all just be a footnote in time. But for now, Miami looks like they got outmaneuvered and are paying the price for it.