We are into the middle of May, and we are still talking about the Illinois basketball program.
Who would have thought the Illini roster for 2026-27 would still hinge on a player deciding on his next career move? That is still the case into mid-May, and the entire fanbase is on the edge of their seats, wondering if Andrej Stojakovic is coming back or heading to The Association.
Back in April, Stojakovic said he was coming back to Illinois. He had the fun little video of him holding a newspaper. Days later, he declared for the NBA Draft.
I will be the first to say that when Stojakovic declared for the draft, I thought it wouldn’t last long. This was a chance for him to get some good advice, come back to college, and then fix some of those issues. There wasn’t any chance he would stay in the draft process.
Well, here we are in the middle of May, still waiting on a decision. Illinois basketball is in a battle with one of the key indicators on whether Stojakovic will come back or stay in the NBA Draft.
Time.
Time is so revealing right now. April 26, Stojakovic entered the NBA Draft. May 10-17 was the NBA Draft Combine.
I thought there was a chance that Stojakovic would pull his name out and return to Illinois after some bad shooting performances at the combine about a week ago. That isn’t the case. Time still keeps on ticking.
There is a decision to be made, as the deadline to withdraw is May 27. We will know what Stojakovic’s decision is in the next nine days.
No decision has been made, and we are way past the decision deadline that was in my head. Time still keeps on ticking. Numerous players have pulled their names out of the NBA Draft process. Stojakovic still remains. To me, as every second, minute, hour, and day goes by without a decision, it only spells bad news for the Orange and Blue.
Andrej Stojakovic is pretty high in the ESPN best available for the 2026 NBA Draft
If Stojakovic’s goal is to just get selected in the NBA Draft, then he should come out this year. He would be a near lock to go in the second round.
Right now, ESPN’s best available has the first Illinois player ranked No. 5 overall, and that is obviously Keaton Wagler. The next Illinois player on the board is Stojakovic.
Stojakovic currently sits as the No. 51 best player left on the board. He is six spots ahead of Kylan Boswell, who sits at No. 57 on the big board.
Time is extremely revealing in the Stojakovic decision. If he knew he wasn’t going to the NBA, then he would have made that decision by now, like many other players already have in the past week. But that isn’t the case. If I had to bet on what will happen, at this point, I am saying Stojakovic is staying in the NBA Draft, and Illinois loses some depth for the 2026-27 season.
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