Illinois Basketball: Two freshmen tabbed as first round draft picks

Illinois basketball has a slew of intriguing prospects. Most of their offseason additions have been mentioned in some light by NBA Draft analysts. Recently, SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell released a 2025 NBA Mock draft which featured two Illini freshmen in the first round.

Kasparas Jakucionis; 8th overall to the Chicago Bulls

Kasparas Jakucionis has lived up to the preseason hype thus far. So far, the Lithuanian guard has averaged 12.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists. At 6 foot 6, Jakucionis is playing the point guard position effortlessly and beyond his age. He has elite court vision, a feel for the game, and a lot of offensive potential. As O’Donnell mentioned, he may not be the most consistent shooter or an above-the-rim athlete, however, his age combined with his court vision and feel make him lottery pick worthy.

If this holds true, Jakucionis would be the first Illini lottery pick since 2012.

Will Riley; 20th overall to the Brooklyn Nets

Riley is the highest-ranked recruit in the 247sports rankings to play for the Illini. Thus far, he has delivered and shown how effortlessly of a scorer he is. He scores in a large variety of ways and is efficient at the same time. Through six games, Riley has averaged 17.2 points and 5.3 rebounds on 54.7 three-point shooting percentage. Many fans were hoping for two years of both Riley and Jakucionis, however, if they continue their strong play, there should be no reason they should not be draft picks in the 2025 draft.

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