Illinois Basketball: Top 5 NBA prospects on the Illini roster

By Max Feldman | Aug 22, 2020

IOWA CITY. IA- FEBRUARY 02: Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has words with Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) during a time out during a Big Ten Conference basketball game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City Ia, on February 02, 2020. Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 05: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini watches his team in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena on March 05, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

The Illinois basketball team enters the 2020-2021 campaign with overflowing buzz as Coach Brad Underwood begins year four in Champaign.

While Underwood has found success in the win-loss category at just about every stop of his coaching career, one criticism could be that he does not produce NBA players. A few fringe guys during his days at Oklahoma State and, while he has yet to break that barrier with the Illini, there are a few players on the current roster who should have a solid shot at playing in The Association.

Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn both tested the NBA Draft waters this offseason and while both of their stocks were somewhat cloudy, their path to the league is pretty sturdy at this point. As the Illini staff slowly but surely cement a prominent recruiting reputation, the ability to develop NBA players should follow.

These five Illini players have not at all provided the production to this point but carry prototypical measurements, skillsets and have projectable development.

Here are the top five NBA prospects on the Illini roster.

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