Illinois forward Jason Jakstys is back in the mix, and the path ahead looks clearer than it did a year ago.
Jakstys’ 2025-26 season was wiped out after he developed a blood clot in his shoulder in January. He ended up playing only nine games and logged just 5.3 minutes per appearance, a frustrating stop for a player who now enters 2026-27 with a chance to carve out a real role in Champaign.
The opportunity is there because the roster has changed. Ben Humrichous, who served as the go-to reserve forward during Jakstys’ first two seasons with the Illini, is gone. That opens the door for Jakstys to push for minutes in his third year in the program.
Brad Underwood made it clear he likes what he has seen.
“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.”
That praise fits the broader way Underwood talks about this group. Illinois has plenty of what he calls “action guys,” and the projected starting five - David Mirkovic, Stefan Vaaks, Tomislav Ivisic, Quentin Coleman and Andrej Stojakovic - all fall into that bucket.
But fit still matters, maybe more than simply stacking talent. Not every lineup needs five players looking for their own shot, and Illinois figures to need a few low-usage pieces who can keep things moving without demanding touches. That is where Jakstys could matter.
Underwood’s description points toward a player who can survive without volume. Offensively, Jakstys can live around the rim as a dunker-spot presence and work the offensive glass.
Defensively, he has the length, spring and anticipation to protect the rim. He also has the tools to handle post matchups one-on-one, though at 6-foot-10 and 220 pounds, he may still need more bulk.
Rebounding could be his calling card. He may even be the best rebounder on the roster, which helps explain why Underwood’s view of his game sounds so enthusiastic.
Still, not every part of that evaluation lines up neatly with the evidence. Jakstys might be an underrated passer, but he has only two assists in 48 career minutes, so the sample size is tiny. Underwood’s practice observations clearly carry more weight than the limited game action.
The “keeps the floor spread” line is tougher to square with what Jakstys has shown. He has never been known as a shooter, going back to high school, and he has zero career three-point attempts.
He also rarely ventures beyond the arc when he’s on the floor. The ballhandler praise is harder to parse, too.
What does seem obvious is that Illinois values the dunker spot and the kind of spacing that comes from having a reliable body in the right place rather than five-out spacing. Jakstys fits that concept. He can occupy space, finish around the rim and make life easier for the guards and wings around him.
How much that turns into actual minutes will be the real test. Early in the season, Illinois figures to give most of the roster a shot in semi-meaningful moments.
If Mirkovic is sidelined to begin the year, Jakstys should have an even better opening to prove himself. But the rotation is expected to tighten as the calendar turns and likely narrow further by March.
Seven spots already look set. That leaves Jakstys fighting a group of freshmen for what could be the eighth-man role. If he delivers the rebounding, rim protection and low-maintenance production Underwood sees in him, he has a real chance to claim it by NCAA Tournament time.
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