It wasn’t the transfer portal, but the Illinois basketball team lost a member of the family on Monday.
After the season concluded, there were a couple of Illini players who were expected to depart. Kasparas Jakucionis is one of those players. He is a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
On Monday, Will Riley took to social media to drop his expected news. He announced that he was entering the upcoming NBA Draft.
Riley spent one season with the Illini, and he played pretty well. As a player who should have been a senior in high school, the freshman averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game at Illinois. He also blossomed throughout the year.
Early on, excluding that first game of his career, Riley didn’t look good. He had a hard time getting acclimated to the college game, and he just didn’t know where to fit on the Illini roster.
As time went on, Riley continued to get more comfortable. He started to get his shot, and his development was evident, especially when we needed him the most during the second half of the season. Riley had some big games, too. He dropped 22 points in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He also had a combined 36 points in the two Big Ten Tournament games.
Will Riley has a chance to be the best Illinois basketball player in the NBA since Deron Williams
The tools are all there for Riley to be a special player. This kid is young, and he has great height and athletic ability. The shot that Riley possesses is extremely underrated, too. He has the ability to get in the paint, and he can create for himself, which are both big attributes in the NBA.
As of right now, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has the Orlando Magic picking Riley with the No. 23 pick in the first round. I love this spot for him because he would be going to a good team and not a complete dumpster fire of a franchise.
I am going to miss Riley. I knew this was a one-and-done deal, but losing him is still a little sad. A part of me wishes we were back in the 2000s or earlier when players stuck around for multiple years. I wish the kid nothing but the best, though. Riley has a bright future ahead.