3 Key Takeaways From Illinois Basketball’s Summer Highlights

On Wednesday, Illinois released a two-minute clip of “summer pickup” highlights. There are obvious caveats anytime we try to draw conclusions from footage of this kind, including: 1) The competitions appear to be open runs, not structured five-on-five scrimmages; 2) it’s mid-July; and 3) we’re watching a fraction of the action – and only what the program wants us to see. Take it all with a grain of salt.

But there is always something to be gleaned from these moments, and in this case the clips offered a handful of interesting insights. Here are three takeaways from the Illini’s summer highlights:

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Three major takeaways from Illinois basketball’s July 2026 highlights

VCU Rams guard Terrence Hill Jr. (6) defends Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) Saturday, March 21, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Let’s not send the wrong message: David Mirkovic, even as a freshman in 2025-26, wasn’t exactly a pylon. But his athleticism – which coach Brad Underwood dubbed “functional athleticism” – wasn’t the kind of bouncy, quick-twitch movement we often come to expect from the best college hoops players.

Seemingly, though, Mirkovic is now both functionally and traditionally athletic – or, at the very least, more acrobatic and explosive than he was a year ago. On on occasion in the video below, he creates space off the bounce and cans a stepback triple. Mirkovic also showed off a spin dribble into a finish at the rim and hit a pull-up three in secondary transition.

And, of course, the biggie: Mikrovic tried to dunk it on Zvonimir Ivisic. As you might have expected, that (overambitious) endeavor was put to a swift end via an emphatic rejection from Big Z – but just the attempt told a story of its own. Mirkovic is more athletic and he knows it – which means it should increasingly translate to his game and enhance his already-polished…

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Publish date : 2026-07-16 19:56:00

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