Altered reality: Was it AI or Heat’s Kasparas Jakucionis actually throwing down dunks?
CLEVELAND – Wait, he can dunk? “Oh yeah,” Kasparas Jakucionis said Friday with a smile, “that’s AI. It was AI.
” “Totally AI,” Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn chimed in moments earlier, as the Heat completed their game-day shootaround ahead of Friday night’s rematch against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Only, it wasn’t, with the Heat’s social-media team on hand to chronicle the ...
CLEVELAND – Wait, he can dunk? “Oh yeah,” Kasparas Jakucionis said Friday with a smile, “that’s AI. It was AI.
” “Totally AI,” Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn chimed in moments earlier, as the Heat completed their game-day shootaround ahead of Friday night’s rematch against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Only, it wasn’t, with the Heat’s social-media team on hand to chronicle the feats of unexpected athleticism of the 19-year-old guard during an optional Thursday team practice. In fact, it was no less than assistant coach Caron Butler egging on the No.
20 pick in last June draft out of Illinois. “Hey,” Butler said amid the video released on the Heat’s social-media feeds, “if he becomes an athletic guard, he can become a Hall of Famer. ” And, with that, Jakucionis dunked off a high-bouncing self-pass, similar to the effort of teammate Keshad Johnson, when Johnson won the dunk contest in February during All-Star Weekend.