Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Monmouth

4. Terrence Shannon Jr. is the most NBA-ready player on the team

The Illinois basketball pool of players in the NBA has dried up pretty quickly. As of right now, I believe Ayo Dosunmu is carrying the flag with dabbles of Malcolm Hill every once in a while.

Illinois has had some NBA-ish talent come through the program, though. Ayo is clearly a long-term NBA player. We will see him for at least the next decade. Hill is still trying to be a mainstay in the NBA ranks.

Kofi Cockburn, Trent Frazier, and Alfonso Plummer are all playing professional basketball right now, but they couldn’t manage to stick with an NBA team. But, in the 2023 NBA Draft, we might have at least one player selected. The best option right now is Terrence Shannon Jr.

All of the players I have mentioned above are great in their own way, but when I watch Shannon on the court, he looks and feels like the most NBA-ready player Illinois has had in a long time.

Shannon can run the court well. He has great speed, which NBA teams will love. On Monday night, he ended up dropping 30 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. I think his three-point shooting is what is going to get him to the next level, though. He was able to knock down 4-of-9 from behind the three-point arc.

Getting to the next level is one thing, but sticking in the NBA is a whole different ball game. Being able to play defense and do the little things is what gets players new contracts. Shannon has that in his game. He has a steal in each contest this season. He is also averaging 22.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.

I think Shannon is the complete package, and he might be the most NBA-ready player Illinois has had since Deron Williams. This kid is special.