Illinois Fighting Illini sharpshooter Andrej Stojakovic, son of Sacramento Kings great Peja Stojakovic, is reportedly planning to enter the 2026 NBA draft. He has the pedigree and the ability to knock shots from deep, just like his father, so the NBA may be the logical next step. However, he is also open to going back to Illinois if things do not work out.
Right now, he still has the option to keep his eligibility, especially as he has very low chances of getting drafted this year. He only has until May 28 to withdraw from the draft and return to Illinois.
Andrej Stojakovic was very instrumental in the Fighting Illini’s run to the Final Four, and head coach Brad Underwood talked about the future of the team after their loss to UConn in the Final Four, and that included the young Serbian sharpshooter.
“This team, like I said, gave me joy because they were about all the right things,” he said. “If you want to put a contest together about good human beings, we’ll win. There’s no question what this group will be in life. As a coach, that’s why I got in this. Am I competitive? Does today stink? It hurts. My gut hurts so bad right now that I feel for all of them.”
Underwood added that he is excited for the future because of the program’s improvement and vowed to get back to the Final Four. For now, Stojakovic would have to change a lot of minds, and he only has a month to do so. He has to go through the pre-draft process to see if teams are truly interested in him, and if not, he would be returning to Illinois.
Now will Andrej Stojakovic be able to return? With interest in him in the NBA low right now, the answer is that yes, it is very much possible.
ESPN Analyst Does Not Have Andrej Stojakovic In His Top 100 Draft Rankings
To be drafted, Andrej Stojakovic has to impress a lot of teams and analysts, and right now, it does not seem that many people are interested. NBA draft insider Jeremy Woo released his Top 100 rankings on which players might be picked by the various teams in the draft, and Andrej Stojakovic is not among them.
This means that Peja Stojakovic’s son might not even get drafted and might possibly end up as an undrafted free agent. However, he still has some time to change a lot of minds from now until the deadline.
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