Illinois basketball has 4 top NBA Draft prospects, according to ESPN. See where they rank

Posted by Admin October 11, 2024 NBA

Expectations are high for the Illinois basketball team in 2024-25. The Fighting Illini are coming off a trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, and the media recently picked coach Brad Underwood’s team to finish fourth in the Big Ten Conference.

It’s easy to see why. The Illini used the transfer portal and international recruiting to reload their roster, including the addition of four players selected recently by ESPN as top prospects for the “2025 NBA draft big board.”

Transfer portal: 20 Missouri Valley basketball players headed to the Power 5

Duke’s 6-foot-9 incoming freshman Cooper Flagg leads the list of prospects compiled by ESPN analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo. Here are the four Illini players on the first ranking, along with every ranked player in the Big Ten.

Kasparas Jakucionis plays in the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championships for Lithuania in July 2023. He has committed to play for the Illinois basketball team in 2024-25, according to ESPN.

The 18-year-old 6-foot-6 Lithauanian point guard is No. 15 on the most recent ESPN list, lauded for his “level of feel, size and maturity,” writes Woo, going on to wonder how his game will translate vs. the longer and more athletic players he’ll face in college. “Jakucionis isn’t especially explosive or long, and the speed of that adjustment will be an excellent litmus test for his NBA prospects,” writes Woo.

The18-year-old 6-foot-8 Canadian wing is an elite shooter with good size, but Woo says he falls short defensively, but could be mitigated by adding strength. Illinois is deep, which could limit growth, but the “shooting prowess makes him a player to monitor closely long term,” Woo writes.

Arizona Wildcats guard Kylan Boswell (4) shoots the ball during the first half against Arizona Wildcats in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena-Delta Center in Salt Lake City on March 21, 2024.

The 19-year-old 6-foot-2 point guard is a transfer from Arizona, ranked No. 75 in the newest ESPN list. He started 36 of 37 games this season for the Wildcats while averaging career-high numbers with 9.5 points, 3.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. He was the No. 22 ranked transfer in the portal this season by 247Sports.

The 22-year-old power forward is a transfer from Evansville of the Missouri Valley Conference, ranked No. 79 in the newest ESPN list. He was sixth in the Valley in shooting (48.4%), and his 14.7 points per game were 12th in the MVC.