The NBA Legend Illinois Had David Mirkovic Study in the Offseason

All summer long, the talk of the town in Champaign was centered around The Retention, but the focus zeroed in specifically on the return of one man: David Mirkovic. Arguably overlooked as a freshman playing alongside fellow first-year stud Keaton Wagler, Mirkovic cannot be categorized as “underrated” entering his second year of college hoops.

Even taking his early-August foot surgery into account, Mirkovic should wind up on the vast majority of preseason All-American ballots. His return timetable is still up in the air, but it’s a matter of when, not if. And once Mirkovic graces the State Farm Center floor again, Illini fans will be in for a treat – just ask Illini coach Brad Underwood.

Brad Underwood's take on David Mirkovic's summer

“The best thing about what happened with the injury was that he had all summer,” Underwood said on Friday. “So that we got a great snapshot of what that looks like, how we were going to utilize him. Mirk will be a guy that our job is to create the mismatch, right away. And no matter what that is.

“He’s a much improved ball-handler. We know what kind of shooter he is. A great facilitator that elevates others because when he draws two to him, he can make every pass.

“We challenged him this summer to watch Larry Bird, and look at some of the plays that Larry Bird made, and do some of those things.

“Obviously, it’s not the most convenient thing to have anybody out with an injury. But if he’s going to be out, it’s a great time to be out now. He’s in practice every day. He’s dialing in with the film. So it’ll just be a matter of conditioning. So you could literally see Mirk play, if you want to use positions, all of them.”

Throughout his time in Champaign, Mirkovic has been considered a unicorn of sorts. His offensive package is, in many ways, one of a kind. There aren’t many top-of-mind comparisons for Mirkovic. But Larry Bird is … well, something.

Obviously, “comparison” would be flat-out disrespectful to Larry Legend. But striving to implement parts of Bird’s game into Mirkovic’s is a reasonable goal.

How Larry Bird film could transform David Mirkovic's game

Admittedly, there are notable similarities: namely, both Bird and Mirkovic are 6-foot-9 with transcendent playmaking abilities at their size. Bird was an absurdly gifted passer – and quite flashy at times. Mirkovic may not have the same pizzazz on his dimes, but he is effective in a similar manner.

Passing out of the post, serving as the initiator in ball screens or even high-low action on occasion (often with Tomislav Ivisic) are all in Mirkovic's bag. But the next step will be his adding new tricks in transition.

Bird’s grab-and-go ability was exceptional. He could snag a board and run the break like no one else (other than perhaps his 1980s counterpart Magic Johnson). That's where Mirkovic can take a massive leap.

He averaged 5.5 defensive rebounds as a freshman. Those were, on a nightly basis, five or six opportunities for Mirkovic to kickstart a transition attack that could lead to easy buckets for Illinois. Instead, he either gave up the ball to Wagler or Kylan Boswell – both of whom slowed it down – or, once in a while, he would hit the gas and chaos would ensue (some good and some not so much).

The Illini appear poised to emphasize the fastbreak more in 2026-27. And if Mirkovic can be a better decision-maker in those scenarios (a process Bird film should aid in) – really the only time he gets sped up is in transition – then he should be able to buy his squad a handful of free buckets a game. And Illinois’ already uber-efficient offense will only become an even better-oiled machine.

Add us as a preferred source on Google