Illinois' Jason Jakstys 'Does Everything Right,' But Can He Find the Rotation?

After suffering a blood clot in his shoulder in January, Illinois forward Jason Jakstys was sidelined for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. He wound up appearing in just nine games and averaging 5.3 minutes in those outings.

In 2026-27, though, Jakstys may be poised for a step forward. It’s his third year in the program, and Ben Humrichous – the go-to reserve forward during Jakstys’ first two years in Champaign – is no longer around. The door is open for Jakstys to emerge.

Brad Underwood high on Illinois' Jason Jakstys ahead of 2026-27

“Like I said many times, he was in a position to help us last year,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said of Jakstys. “And Jason does everything right. He is a winning role player. He is a winning guy who doesn’t need the ball, isn’t out there trying to get 30 every night.

“He’s an elite runner. He’s an elite rebounder. He’s got great, great feel and IQ. Deceivingly, a very – people probably haven’t seen a lot – very good passer and a very good ballhandler. And so he’s a guy that, in what we’re doing offensively, fits very well.

“And facilitates and keeps the floor spread. And then he’s just got a great nose for the ball. So he’s been great. And he’s got his weight back up. He’s gaining weight. Excited for him.”

The Illini have “action guys," as Underwood has dubbed them, in spades. David Mirkovic, Stefan Vaaks, Tomislav Ivisic, Quentin Coleman, Andrej Stojakovic – Illinois' entire projected starting lineup falls into that category.

But that isn’t how basketball works. Having the “best” five players on the floor at all times doesn’t always translate to the most effective results. Fit is of utmost importance. So there’s a need for players who aren’t accustomed to taking 10-plus shots per game.

Can Jason Jakstys crack the Illinois rotation in 2026-27?

Cue Jake Davis. Cue Zvonimir Ivisic. And now, it may be Jakstys as well. As Underwood said, Jakstys doesn’t really need shots or the ball in his hands to produce. On offense, Jakstys is a dunker-spot player who can finish off plays around the rim and feast on the offensive boards.

Defensively, Jakstys has the length, springiness and anticipation to be a top-notch rim protector. He also has the skill set to flourish in one-on-one situations in the post, though at a listed 6-foot-10, 220 pounds, he may need to bulk up even more.

Jakstys may even be the best rebounder on the team – which may explain the glass-crazed Underwood’s somewhat overambitious description of Jakstys’ game.

Even if Underwood is high on Jakstys, not all of what the coach said tracks. Maybe Jakstys is an underrated passer. That's entirely possible. He has 48 total career minutes under his belt and just two assists. That isn’t the largest sample size. What Underwood has seen in practice surely carries more weight than those minutes.

“Keeps the floor spread," though, is a stretch in any interpretation. Jakstys, even dating back to high school, has never been characterized as a shooter. He has zero career three-point attempts and rarely even steps beyond the arc when on the floor. (And it didn’t slip past us, but we’ll refrain from addressing the “very good ballhandler” comment.)

The Illini have talked about “three low” spacing before and the importance of keeping the dunker spot occupied. That seems to take priority over five-out spacing. Jakstys can do that – and he can do it well.

Again, he has the physical attributes, along with the intelligence and supposedly enough playmaking, which could come in handy down there. Perhaps that was what Underwood was getting at with his floor-spacing mention.

Regardless, though, it’ll be interesting to see how it all unfolds. Early in the year, most of Illinois’ roster should get a shot in semi-meaningful moments. (If Mirkovic is sidelined to start the year, Jakstys will definitely have a chance to prove himself.) But the rotation will presumably shrink again as the New Year comes around, and likely tighten further by March.

Seven spots are seemingly already cemented. Can Jakstys, who will be battling a handful of freshmen for minutes, own the eighth-man role by the time the NCAA Tournament rolls around? If he can provide all Underwood describes, he'll have an excellent shot at it.

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