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Multiple Illinois players getting chance to shine at NBA Draft Combine

The NBA Draft is right around the corner, and two Illinois basketball players will get a chance to show off their skills at the NBA Draft Combine.
ByRees Woodcock|
Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives to the basket against Xavier forward Jerome Hunter (2) in an NCAA Tournament game at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Friday, March 21, 2025.
Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives to the basket against Xavier forward Jerome Hunter (2) in an NCAA Tournament game at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Friday, March 21, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Illinois basketball is about to do something that hasn’t been accomplished in nearly 20 years.

The NBA hasn’t exactly been a soft landing spot for Illini players. You can count on one hand the number of players that came from Champaign and made it to the NBA in the last couple of decades.

Illinois’ glory days are starting to return, though. In the early to mid-2000s, we were sending players to The Association. That dried up quickly, though. Brad Underwood is now getting that engine going again, and Ayo Dosunmu was the first domino to fall in 2021.

Last year, Terrence Shannon Jr. was picked in the 2024 NBA Draft. In 2025, Illinois will have not one but at least two players selected. That would mark the first time Illinois has had a player selected in back-to-back NBA Drafts since 2005 and 2006, nearly 20 years ago.

On Friday, the dream of playing in the NBA got even closer for two Illinois players. The NBA released the list of the 75 players who were invited to the NBA Draft Combine.

The two Illini players to get invited were point guard Kasparas Jakucionis and forward Will Riley.

Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley both have the physical gifts to make it at the NBA level

No one is surprised that Jakucionis and Riley are both invited to the NBA Draft Combine. They have been on a collision course with the NBA for quite some time, and now they inch closer to landing with a franchise.

I believe both players have a nice future in the professional ranks, too. With Jakucionis, he is more of an instant impact type of player.

Jakucionis should be able to join an NBA team and at least be a solid role player from day one. He can create and has great court vision. His style of play is conducive to the NBA, too. The only issue that could hamper his progression at the next level is defense. There is a misconception that the NBA doesn’t play defense. Do you know why players like Jimmer Fredette couldn’t make it in the NBA? Defense.

Riley, on the other hand, it might take him a few years to fully cement himself in the NBA. He is extremely young, and a couple of years of G-League development is probably in line for the talented kid.

I am excited to see what Riley’s offense looks like in an NBA system. In college, he is limited by the number of touches, but as a professional, the court will open, and he will get his looks.

Much like with Jakucionis, I think Riley’s defense needs a bit of improvement. He isn’t great off the dribble. That worries me, as NBA players will be able to cross him up a lot. The size of Riley might be an issue, too. He is going to need to fill out his body to help with the physicality of the NBA.

At the end of the day, I see both players impressing scouts at the NBA Draft Combine. They are both extremely talented, and they will get selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.

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