The Fighting Illini's star forward is a name to watch for the 2026 NBA Draft.
Andrej Stojakovic had the chance to leave California and enter the 2025 NBA Draft after a stellar season with the Golden Bears. Averaging 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals across 29 games, he would have been an enticing prospect for teams around the league.
Instead, the 6-foot-7 wing chose to return to college basketball for his junior season, this time with Illinois. Through the first four games of the 2025-26 season, that move is paying off. Stojakovic is averaging 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists thus far, shooting 57.4% from the field. Most recently, the son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic put up 20 points, four rebounds and two blocks in just 25 minutes of action against Long Island University. He shot 10-for-15 from the field in a blowout 98-58 win at home. This is Stojakovic's third 20-point game of the season. Before that, he put up an incredible 26 points on 68.8% shooting in a 90-86 loss to No. 11 Alabama. What excites people most about the 21-year-old is his poise as a wing scorer. Stojakovic limits his dribbles and finds ways to get to the midrange or paint at will. He also has a smooth jumper, although he has struggled to shoot the deep ball thus far . Last season at California, he posted 43-32-82 shooting splits.Another impressive part about his game is that he's doing it on a loaded Fighting Illini squad. The No. 8 team in the country has plenty of stars, including Kylan Boswell, David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler. So far, Stojakovic has still managed to make a name for himself in the starting lineup. With him growing as an offensive initiator and scorer within the arc from his freshman season at Stanford, Stojakovic is a legitimate NBA prospect if this sort of production holds up. His ability to take contact and remain in control against any defender is promising. However, there are still concerns regarding consistency from the three-point stripe. He hasn't quite been a 'knockdown' shooter, but there is plenty of potential as a wing scorer. Getting opportunities against tough opponents in the Big Ten will give us a better look at how he consistently performs against the best of the best, but he posted 20-point outings against Alabama and Texas Tech are impressive enough. Keep an eye on the Serbian star as Illinois carries on its early regular season.Jed is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in journalism. He also contributes at several other basketball outlets, including has his own basketball blog and podcast — The Sixth Man Report.NBA Draft: The Top Prospect Performances from Last Night
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