Much to the surprise of faithful Illinois fans, guard Andrej Stojakovic declared for the 2026 NBA Draft.
While he maintained his eligibility, keeping the door open for his return, it also opens the door to the possibility that he won't be with the Fighting Illini next season.
Despite coming off the bench for about a third of Illinois's games this year, many expected Stojakovic to be part of Brad Underwood's starting five during the guard's second year in Champaign.
If he does end up leaving for the NBA, the Fighting Illini could have a pretty large hole in their depth chart, and the change to the expected lineup could knock Illinois out of the preseason No. 1 conversations.
Illinois projected starting lineup without Andrej Stojakovic
- Guard: Stefan Vaaks, backup: Ethan Brown
- Guard: Quentin Coleman, backup: Lucas Morillo
- Forward: David Mirkovic, backup: Zavier Zens
- Forward: Jake Davis, backup: Landon Davis
- Center: Tomislav Ivisic, backup: Zvonimir Ivisic
In the (currently) hypothetical situation where Stojakovic is in the league next season, soon-to-be true freshman Quinten Coleman would likely slide into his shooting guard/wing position, supporting Underwood's transfer pickup Stefan Vaaks, who will likely replace Keaton Wagler in the starting five.
Fellow true freshmen Ethan Brown and Lucas Morillo will probably play the PG2 and SG2 roles for the Illini until they find their form, likely returning for another season in 2027.
The biggest thing missing in the Illinois backcourt would be Stojakovic's size. Standing at 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds, he was one of the taller guards in this year's rotation.
Vaaks has a similar build to Stojakovic, but Coleman and Brown are both just 6-foot-4; Morillo is still extremely light at just 180 pounds despite being 6-foot-7.
Returning Illinois forwards David Mirkovic and Jake Davis will almost certainly be two of the starters for Underwood, joined by yet another returning Illini in Tomislav Ivisic at center. Ivisic's brother, Zvonimir, will probably play the back-up role once again, with true freshman Landon Davis playing behind the other Davis (no relation).
With the departure of Ty Rodgers, who spent three years with Illinois but didn't play last season due to an injury, freshman Zavier Zens will most likely round out the frontcourt.
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