Illinois had two first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Yes, Kasparas Jakucionis slid.
And sure, Will Riley is destined for basketball Siberia.
But in this moment, Illinois has established itself as the kind of program that produces multiple one-and-done supernovas in one season.
This wasn’t even a realistic possibility in the Ayo-Kofi years. And those were outstanding years.
On draft night 2025, the Illini sent a loud message to a global audience. Brad Underwood is drinking your milkshake at the big boy table.
Kansas, North Carolina, Gonzaga, UCLA, Oregon, Purdue, Houston, Arizona, and chest-beating Indiana combine for zero first-round picks in 2025.
Two Illini, two freshmen, two first-rounders. **Kasparas Jakučionis** and **Will Riley** were selected back-to-back in the NBA Draft at the 20th and 21st overall spots, respectively. It’s the first time since 2005 that Illinois has had multiple first-round picks.
### **Kasparas Jakučionis – Pick No. 20, Miami Heat**
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26038695/usa_today_26533851.jpg)
Erik Spoelstra gets an evolved version of Goran Dragic. He gets a big guard who is one of the elite pick-and-roll guards in the draft. Heat culture gets a competitive kid whose biggest flaw can be that he plays _too hard._
Dummy basketball fans will point to his turnovers and shooting percentage and say “BECUZ HE TURNT DA BALL OVA TEW MUCHZ, HE KANT PLAY IN DA NBEEAYEE. HE IZ TOO SLOW AN HE AIN’T NO KINDA GUD AFLEET.”
Firstly, he’s 19. He’s going to a future HOF coach and an organization run by Pat Riley. So, how preternaturally ignorant must you be to speak of him like a finished product? Furthermore, do you know who else isn’t a freak athlete?
The guy who went first overall.
Also, the guy who got picked second overall.
Additionally, three of the top six players in the _**current**_ NBA: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum.
So, for those who are saying that lack of athleticism will limit KJ’s upside, you’re telling on yourself. You’re either a completely idiotic basketball fan, or you stopped watching the NBA around the time Kwame Brown was the top overall pick.
The Lithuanian-born playmaker arrived in Champaign with a pro-ready background, a physical frame, and enough grit to thrive in whatever remains of “Heat Culture.”
Jakučionis has the talent to thrive in the modern NBA. He has proficiency in shooting step-back threes and being a passer and scorer in pick-and-roll concepts. While his defense isn’t elite, he’s a willing defender and a massive effort guy. He will undoubtedly see the floor as a rookie.. His handle is creative but occasionally reckless. His shot isn’t broken, but it’s streaky. What’s not in doubt is his feel. This kid plays chess.
KJ’s summer league expectations will be off the charts.
### **Will Riley – Pick No. 21, Drafted by Utah, Traded to Washington Wizards**
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26038697/2221400897.jpg)
The pick technically belonged to Utah. But Will Riley is heading to Washington, where the rebuild is real, the rotation is open, and the opportunity couldn’t be more tailor-made.
That was me being nice. The Wizards have a demonstrated history of being the dumbest franchise in professional sports.
RIley has been a bucket-getting phenom since his dominant AAU performance with U-Play Canada. Orlando Antigua convinced Riley to come to Champaign, not Lexington.
Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way. Yes, Riley is thin. And no, he’s not an elite catch-and-shoot guy. But Riley is a willful bucket getter with secondary facilitator skills and the ability to bully defenders to his spot and get the shot that he wants.
Even when he struggled, his shot always looked good. His fundamentals are NBA-ready.
Also, he’s not a freakish athlete. He’s not a shooter, he’s a scorer. When I see him, I see a thinner Tobias Harris or a poor man’s Melo. Neither of those were above-the-rim freaks or perimeter snipers with elite efficiency. But both carved out long NBA careers because they could score.
Riley’s a long, fluid, 6’8” wing with a clean shooting stroke and the stoicism of a guy on his third divorce with a thriving meditation practice.
In Washington, he’ll get the chance to show the skill and versatility that made him a five-star prospect. Seriously, who is going to stop him from getting minutes?
Riley doesn’t need the ball to make an impact. He moves smartly, shoots smoothly, and has the length to develop into a modern two-way wing. If he finds his defensive game and tightens his handle, he could become a core piece.
He is a long-term piece. He may not be a 20PPG guy as a rookie. But he should have every chance to take his lumps on the court and become a positive contributor early in his career.
### **What This Means for Illinois**
This is Brad Underwood’s most powerful recruiting tool yet. Two players developed inside a system that values accountability, communication, and adaptability. Both had their struggles. Both endured the slings and arrows of an unforgiving fan base.
But both are now getting generational wealth from NBA franchises.
What Jakučionis and Riley signal is that **Illinois is officially a global program**. That’s going to resonate with the next Will Riley. The next Kasparas. The next elite high school kid who wants to bet on himself without getting lost in the chaos of blueblood depth charts or NIL power grabs.
This is momentum. And it’s earned.
### **What kind of day has it been?**
In the streaming age, Illinois basketball just dropped a pilot episode that has everybody geeked. The storyline? Two international freshmen walked into a deep rotation, overcame questionable rotations and tremendous odds, and became first-round picks.
It’s a referendum on the program. It’s a preview of the future. Three first-round picks in two years for Brad Underwood put a punctuation mark on his vision.
Alex Constanza, Arafan Diane, Luigi Suigo, and Dylan Mingo now see that their direct path to lifelong dreams can run through East Central Illinois.