Why Andrej Stojakovic can be an All-American with Illinois Basketball

A year ago, Andrej Stojakovic arrived in Champaign with the pedigree of a former five-star recruit and the résumé of a player who had already shown he could carry a significant offensive load. What he didn’t necessarily have at Illinois was the opportunity to play like a star every night.

That wasn’t because Illinois didn’t trust him. It was because Brad Underwood had an unusually deep roster, one that eventually reached the Final Four with Stojakovic serving primarily as its sixth man. But the sixth-man label can be a little misleading when describing Stojakovic’s actual role. He still started 21 of Illinois’ 34 games, played 26.3 minutes per game, and averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field. 

And now, most Illinois fans probably expect that to change. With Keaton Wagler gone, the expectation entering this season is that Stojakovic will be in the starting five from the beginning. That doesn’t necessarily mean his role has to become dramatically different. It simply means there should be more opportunity for a player who already showed flashes of being one of Illinois’ most difficult offensive players to guard.

That’s what makes Ayo Dosunmu’s recent challenge so intriguing. Dosunmu challenged Stojakovic to become an All-American, saying there was no reason he couldn’t reach that level. That’s a significant expectation, but it isn’t difficult to understand why someone who knows Illinois basketball would see that potential.

The numbers underneath the numbers

Stojakovic’s 13.5 points per game don’t immediately jump off the page as an All-American résumé. The efficiency behind those numbers is much more interesting.

Andrej Stojakovic played just 26.3 minutes per game and started 21 of Illinois’ 34 games. Yet his usage rate was approximately 25 percent, according to FOX Sports’ advanced statistics — essentially putting him in the same offensive-usage neighborhood as Wagler despite playing seven fewer minutes per night. 

Stojakovic shot 50 percent from the field last season, but his two-point shooting was the real story. He shot 58.3 percent on two-point attempts, a major improvement from the 47.8 percent he posted at Cal the previous season. He became much more effective attacking off the bounce, getting into the paint and using his 6-foot-7 frame to finish over or through smaller defenders. 

That was particularly valuable on a team with so many offensive options. Stojakovic didn’t need 18 shots every night to impact a game. When he entered, Illinois could immediately put the ball in his hands and ask him to create something. He could attack a closeout, operate from the midrange, post a smaller defender, or get all the way to the rim.

And then there was the free-throw line. Stojakovic attempted 128 free throws last season and made 103, good for 80.5 percent. That combination of an aggressive downhill scorer who can consistently convert when defenses foul him gives him a foundation that doesn’t disappear when the jump shot isn’t falling. 

The three-point shot has to become a weapon

There is, however, one glaring hole in the argument for Stojakovic as an All-American: his three-point shooting. He made just 20 of 82 attempts last season, shooting 24.4 percent from beyond the arc.  That number has to improve.

It doesn’t necessarily need to become a 40-percent season. But Stojakovic needs to become enough of a threat that defenders can’t simply live with his perimeter shot while loading up on his drives.

The encouraging part is that this isn’t a player who has never demonstrated shooting ability. He shot 31.8 percent from three at Cal and 32.7 percent as a freshman at Stanford. The Illinois season represented a significant step backward from those numbers. 

If Stojakovic can get back into the low-to-mid 30s while maintaining the efficiency he showed inside the arc, suddenly the defensive equation becomes much more difficult. A defender has to respect the drive, respect the midrange game and at least be honest enough on the perimeter that Stojakovic can attack a closeout.

That’s where the All-American ceiling starts to become realistic.

The sixth man label doesn’t tell the whole story

It’s easy to look at last season and say Stojakovic was Illinois’ sixth man. Technically, that’s true. But it undersells what he actually did.

He started 21 games and was the team’s second-leading scorer. He played more than 26 minutes per night despite coming off the bench in 13 games. And when Illinois reached the NCAA Tournament, Andrej Stojakovic became increasingly important to what the Illini were trying to do offensively 

Illinois fans should expect to see him in the starting lineup this season, particularly with Wagler no longer in the picture. But starting doesn’t suddenly make Stojakovic a different player. It gives him the opportunity to play more consistently with the first group and potentially take on a larger offensive role from the opening tip.

The opportunity is there

The biggest difference between last season and this season is that Andrej Stojakovic has already proven he can function within this team. He knows Underwood’s system, his teammates and the defensive expectations. He knows where his shots are going to come from. And now he should have a larger platform.

David Mirkovic could be one of the best players in the country. Stefan Vaaks gives Illinois another big, versatile offensive piece. Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic provide size and skill. Quentin Coleman arrives with five-star expectations.

This won’t become the Andrej Stojakovic show. It doesn’t need to.

If Stojakovic can turn 26 minutes into 30-plus, maintain his 50-percent overall shooting, continue attacking the basket and get his three-point shooting back into respectable territory, the scoring numbers should naturally follow.

Something in the neighborhood of 18 points and five rebounds per game would put him in a very different statistical conversation. And if Illinois is again playing deep into March, that conversation gets even louder.

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