Illinois forward Terrence Shannon Jr. declares for 2023 NBA Draft

Illinois forward Terrence Shannon Jr. has declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, he announced via Twitter on Wednesday afternoon. Spending just one season with the Fighting Illini under head coach Brad Underwood, Shannon began his college basketball career at Texas Tech.

Shannon appeared in 31 games this past season, averaging 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He finished as the team’s leading scorer and second in assists. Illinois was able to make the NCAA Tournament but fell short in the Round of 64 to Arkansas.

Now, Shannon will be off to the NBA, hoping to have more success there.

In the latest ESPN NBA mock draft, Shannon was projected to be an early second-round pick. He was picked 40th overall by the Denver Nuggets, which they own from the Dallas Mavericks.

Shannon played high school basketball at Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 84 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

More on the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.

To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.

While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.