Good Morning, Illini Nation: Mock draft update
Dec. 1—Welcome to "Good Morning, Illini Nation," your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He'll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood's team:
ESPN's updated mock draft published Thursday morning includes a current Illinois player and a former (if ever so briefly) Illini projected as second-round picks. The latest from ESPN's NBA draft experts Jonathon Givony and Jeremy Woo has Terrence Shannon Jr. slotted as the No. 44 pick overall pick to the Orlando Magic and Zacharie Perrin going No. 57 to the Indiana Pacers.
Shannon returned for a second season at Illinois and fifth in college after going through the NBA draft process last spring. Shannon participated in the draft combine, went through workouts and interviews and decided one more season with the Illini was his best path to eventually playing in the league.
For now, Shannon's current projections for the 2024 NBA Draft aren't any different than they were in the spring for the 2023 NBA Draft. A second-round pick. Shannon isn't exactly old, but he's going to be draft old by next summer. That could lower his stock.
What might raise it, though, is if the 6-foot-6 guard keeps shooting like he has through six games for the Illini. Shannon is connecting at a career-best rate from three-point range, making 43.9 percent of his shots from beyond the arc on nearly seven attempts per game.
Meanwhile, Perrin is drawing some draft interest as a professional in France. The 6-10 forward does get former Illini status since he was on the roster last season. He just wasn't on the roster very long. Basically two months.
Perrin is currently playing for Olympique Antibes — stylized as Antibes Sharks — in France's LNB Pro 2 (the country's second-tier league). Through eight games this season, Perrin is averaging 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field and 75 percent at the free throw line.
