The Illinois basketball class of 2024 has turned out to be pretty special on paper.

After the 2023-24 campaign, the Illini didn’t just have to add a few pieces to get back to prominence. Brad Underwood had to completely rebuild the program, as only two scholarship players returned to the roster.

On top of the roster rebuild, Illinois also had to add a top assistant coach. In the span of the last few months, Underwood and his elite coaching staff put together one of the best recruiting classes I have ever seen.

Among the top players in this class is Kasparas Jakucionis. At the time of his commitment, and leading up to the past week, recruiting sites didn’t have Jakucionis rated or ranked. Illinois fans knew he was up there with the best of the best, but we weren’t sure where he would land nationally.

247Sports has officially updated its class of 2024 rankings, and Jakucionis is one of the best in the country. They have his updated profile showing a four-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 36 player in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 6 shooting guard in the country and the best player coming out of Lithuania.

The fact that Jakucionis is ranked as a top-40 recruit is a pretty big deal. It enables Illinois’ class of 2024 to be ranked in the top 10 nationally, and he gives us an insanely good backcourt.

Honestly, I don’t think it is going to matter who starts and who comes off the bench in the backcourt. I think there will be a nice distribution of minutes, so no one is getting too few or too many.

In a projected Illinois basketball lineup I put together a couple of months ago, I had Jakucionis coming off the bench at either the No. 1 or No. 2 guard spot. I could still see that being the case.

I think there are a few locks to start in the Illinois lineup. Kylan Boswell, Tre White, Will Riley, and Morez Johnson Jr. are all going to start in my eyes. There is no way you get two high-caliber transfers and two elite recruits and not start them.

Do you send Ty Rodgers to the bench? He started every game last season and stuck around for another year. I doubt that happens. So, that is likely the starting five.

Jakucionis will likely get 25 minutes per game still. He is so talented that he can play the No. 1 through No. 3 spots. He is the first man off the bench, and he will be in the game when anyone in the backcourt needs a breath. This Illinois basketball team is absolutely loaded.