With the NBA Draft Combine here, we are seeing several players announce they are planning to stay in the draft and not return to college. The long list includes Henri Veesaar, though some other standouts are leaving the door open to delay their pro careers. What will Andrej Stojakovic end up doing?
That's what Illinois fans are waiting to find out, as he is yet to make his final decision. With that said, he recently left the door open to play for the Fighting Illini next season, adding that his favorite memory of playing for Brad Underwood was no doubt reaching the Final Four, even if a loss to UConn was posted.
So, will he work to help Underwood try and win the natty next season? Stojakovic has quite the call to make, but recent NBA Mock Drafts appear to be making it a pretty dang simple one. Jeremy Woo of ESPN has Stojakovic going in the second round to the Houston Rockets and No. 53 overall, while On3's James Fletcher III has him going at No. 45 to the Kings.
#Illini Andrej Stojakovic on the decision to stay in the draft or return to Illinois:
— Tristan Thomas (@TristanThomasTV) May 13, 2026
"I'm in the draft with both feet in right now... I've been getting great feedback so far."
"Understanding what we have back at Illinois is extremely special... just got to make the right… pic.twitter.com/Jdd8bAqk3M
Illinois fans are still waiting patiently for Andrej Stojakovic to make his NBA decision
At the Combine, Stojakovic turned some heads with his testing numbers, but he struggled shooting the ball a bit during drills. It seems like him returning for one more season of college ball is going to help take his game to the next level. At the same time, it could help him boost his draft stock, as he's surely hoping to become a first-round pick in the future.
As things stand, the chances of him being a first-rounder if he stays in the draft this year feel like they're slim to none. This has got to be something he's keeping in mind, especially with Illinois looking like a serious threat to go on another deep NCAA Tournament run next season. The Big Ten powerhouse will only be even more dangerous if Stojakovic gives Underwood the news he's hoping for.
As you can see in the video above, though, Stojakovic made it quite clear that he's got 'both feet in' with the draft, as he's certainly liking the feedback that he's been getting. That's one thing, but would he actually risk falling to midway through the second round? Unless he gets a promise from a team they'll take him late in the first, that could prove to be a mistake.
Stojakovic averaged 13.5 points for Illinois last season, doing so as a coveted transfer from Cal. The Fighting Illini beat out North Carolina and others for his services and he won over Illinois fans from start to finish. Now, he can make people even more happy if he suits up for the program once again next campaign, but things could not be less clear there. Stojakovic clearly has dreams of playing in the NBA soon, but one extra season in college makes the most sense for him, especially with the recent mocks all but ruling out a first-round opportunity for him.
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