Three Illinois basketball players featured in early 2026 NBA Mock Drafts

Illinois basketball will continue to have an NBA presence as long as Brad Underwood is the head coach. This past week, Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley were both selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, making Illinois one of just three college programs to produce multiple first-round picks this year.

Following that successful night, ESPN released its 2026 NBA Mock Draft. That mock draft featured three Illinois players. Big men Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic,  and transfer wing Andrej Stojakovic, were all featured in this very early mock draft.

Illinois’ coaching staff continues to recruit and develop NBA-caliber talent, and next season should be no different. Head coach Brad Underwood has now produced four NBA players in Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, and Will Riley.

These three draft hopefuls look to join the growing list of Illini making their mark in the NBA when the time comes to leave Champaign.

Illinois basketball has another team of pros

Andrej Stojakovic transferred over to Illinois basketball after averaging 17.9 points per game for Cal. With another strong campaign, he could push his way into the first round. Currently, ESPN expects teams to select him 45th overall..

Tomislav Ivisic returns for his second year at Illinois and is expected to be a key focal point of the Illini offense alongside Stojakovic. After posting 13 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season, he’s poised to be one of the top big men in the Big Ten. He’s currently projected at #48, with room to rise if he continues to develop. The big man has the perfect NBA game with his shooting ability and passing. 

Scouts project Zvonimir Ivisic, Tomislav’s twin brother, as the final pick of the 2026 NBA Draft (#60 overall).. Zvonimir showed plenty of potential during his rather limited minutes at Arkansas. At 7’2″ with the ability to stretch the floor and shoot from deep, Zvonimir is a unique and intriguing prospect.

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