Illini in the NBA: Kasparas Jakucionis Gets First Bucket, Ayo Dosunmu Thriving

For years, Illinois sending a player to the NBA felt like a once-in-a-blue-moon event. But now, as head man Brad Underwood lands more top talent, develops these gifted prospects and runs a free-flowing offense designed to showcase their abilities, Champaign has quickly become a hotbed for NBA prospects.

This 2025-26 Illini squad may produce more NBA players than any other class in program history, but for now, we’ll focus on the players already in the league, offering a quick update on each former Illini making their mark at the next level.

How former Illini are faring early in the NBA

Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls

Despite the Chicago Bulls’ recent sputtering, Dosunmu has not missed a beat, as he continues to put together a career-best campaign across the board. The efficiency is eye-opening (51.9 percent from the field, 47.5 percent from three and 85.7 percent from the line), as is the sheer volume of production: 15.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Having almost reinvented himself as a player – as most college stars are forced to do in the league – Dosunmu has turned into a bona fide long-distance threat (connecting on 1.9 triples per game), while still thriving as a rim attacker against close-outs and in transition.

Kasparas Jakucionis, Miami Heat

Appearing in two NBA games thus far, Jakucionis has finally made his long-awaited big-league debut. He has played just over eight total minutes in his NBA career, but he did knock down a triple for his first-ever field goal – which came in an 11-point win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.

First NBA bucket for Kasparas Jakucionis

(via @MiamiClip) pic.twitter.com/XZgJNJKmns
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) December 19, 2025

In the G League, where Jakucionis has spent the majority of his time, the 6-foot-5 lead guard averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.5 steals in eight games. His percentages (42.0 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from deep and 80.8 percent from the line) have been only so-so, and his turnovers (3.1 per game) remain a work in progress.

Will Riley, Washington Wizards

Riley has appeared in 19 NBA games, averaging 11.8 minutes per outing – which is quite impressive considering the expectation of a season-long G League assignment heading into the year. He’s averaging 4.4 points per game in his NBA appearances, but he has been tearing up the G League in three outings with the Capital City Go-Go, averaging 26.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists on scorching-hot shooting splits of 58.2 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep (2.3 three-pointers made per game).

Still, Riley hasn't completely escaped any rookie struggles. He has been well below average from the free-throw line in the G League (55.6 percent), and his 3.0 turnovers per outing aren’t ideal (though they often are a sign of a high-usage player figuring things out on the fly).

Terrence Shannon Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves

After battling an injury for the early part of the season, Shannon returned to the lineup, but he hasn’t been able to carve out a specific role just yet. His minutes have been scattered – four minutes, then 30, followed by 13 – and his play has followed suit. His averages are hardly headline-worthy (4.8 points and 1.6 rebounds), but he has had single-game performances that have made it abundantly clear of the value he can offer the Timberwolves.

Eighteen points on a perfect 7-for-7 night from the field against the Oklahoma City Thunder and a nine-point, four-rebound, three-assist, two-steal, one-block showing vs. the Golden State Warriors each sent a message: Shannon can be a plug-and-play microwave scorer off the bench or a versatile, two-way threat.

But it appears the T-Wolves need more time to figure out which role fits Shannon best and how to make the most of the dynamic 6-foot-6 wing.