{"id":255999,"date":"2026-04-07T17:17:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/255999\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T17:17:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:17:16","slug":"andrej-stojakovics-big-march-madness-could-pay-off-in-june","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/255999\/","title":{"rendered":"Andrej Stojakovic&#8217;s big March Madness could pay off in June"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"249\" data-end=\"840\">Peja Stojakovic is well remembered in Sacramento for his contributions to the \u201cGreatest Show on Court\u201d Kings of the late \u201990s through the mid-2000s.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"249\" data-end=\"840\">His No. 16 jersey is one of 11 retired by the organization (or 10 if you don\u2019t count the \u201cSixth Man\u201d jersey retired for the fans, and one of four from the Sacramento era). Peja was a prolific three-point shooter\u2014stretching the floor and knocking down shots was his bread and butter.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"249\" data-end=\"840\">He even finished fourth in MVP voting in 2004, leading the Kings to a 59-win season as the primary scorer while Chris Webber dealt with knee problems all year.<\/p>\n<p><img data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72\" class=\" wp-image-72\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-52236906-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"669\" height=\"446\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-72\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"842\" data-end=\"1107\">The name Stojakovic still carries weight in Sacramento, and Andrej Stojakovic made sure fans heard it again during this year\u2019s NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"842\" data-end=\"1107\">The Illinois junior\u2014Peja\u2019s son\u2014was born in Carmichael, California, in 2004, right after his father\u2019s historic season.<\/p>\n<p>More on Andrej Stojakovic<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1109\" data-end=\"1453\">Andrej Stojakovic began his college career close to home, playing his freshman season at Stanford before transferring to Cal for his sophomore year. After an impressive run in Berkeley, Andrej Stojakovic made another move\u2014this time to Illinois\u2014accepting a smaller role in exchange for competing on a team with national championship aspirations.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1455\" data-end=\"1905\">Illinois entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed in the South Region after finishing 28\u20138 (15\u20135 in Big Ten play).<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1455\" data-end=\"1905\">Led by top-10 projected draft prospect Keaton Wagler, the Illini were viewed as legitimate title contenders. Within that roster, Andrej Stojakovic embraced a sixth-man role, coming off the bench in every game. Despite the change, he still averaged 26.3 minutes per game\u2014only about seven fewer than the 33.4 minutes he logged at Cal.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1907\" data-end=\"2281\">The role shift appeared to benefit Andrej Stojakovic. His shooting had been a primary criticism during his first two college seasons, especially given his father\u2019s legacy as one of the greatest three-point shooters in NBA history. While his three-point percentage dipped, his overall field-goal percentage improved by 7.3%, and he showcased a more complete defensive game.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2283\" data-end=\"2639\">Andrej Stojakovic frequently came off the bench, tasked with guarding opposing teams\u2019 best players. He displayed strong on-ball defense, solid help instincts, and effective double-team execution. His performance made it clear he is carving out a different identity from his father\u2014more of a slasher and finisher at the rim than a perimeter sniper.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2641\" data-end=\"2914\">Illinois fell to UConn 71\u201362 in the Final Four, but Andrej Stojakovic likely raised his profile in the process. For many, the idea of a Stojakovic who isn\u2019t a sharpshooter took time to process, but this tournament run helped him establish his own style on a national stage.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2916\" data-end=\"3277\">There are flashes in Andrej Stojakovic\u2019s game that resemble an underdeveloped RJ Barrett during his time at Duke.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2916\" data-end=\"3277\">At 6\u20197\u201d, Stojakovic has an inch on Barrett and nearly identical size, with both players listed around 215 pounds. Each relies on physicality and strength to attack the basket, though Barrett showed a more polished offensive game at the same stage.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3279\" data-end=\"3520\">At this point, Andrej Stojakovic projects more as an isolation scorer, slasher, and capable defender. That profile can be highly valuable in college, but it\u2019s often a tougher archetype to translate to the NBA without a reliable outside shot.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3522\" data-end=\"3922\">With a loaded draft class ahead, it remains unclear whether Andrej Stojakovic will declare for the NBA Draft or return to Illinois for another season. Either way, the Sacramento Kings\u2014who hold two second-round picks in both 2026 and 2027\u2014could present an intriguing possibility.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3522\" data-end=\"3922\">A homecoming involving Andrej Stojakovic would bring one of the most recognizable names in franchise history full circle.<\/p>\n<p>More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports<\/p>\n<p>Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday, April 7th @ Golden State Warriors \u2013 7:00 PM PT<br \/>\nFriday, April 10th vs. Golden State Warriors \u2013 7:00 PM PT<br \/>\nSunday, April 12th @ Portland Trail Blazers \u2013 5:30 PM PT (End of season)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Thank you for reading\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sactownsports.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SactownSports.com<\/a>. Follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Sactown1140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMMGengsw2Ki2Aw?hl=en-US&amp;gl=US&amp;ceid=US:en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Google News<\/a>, and subscribe to our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/SactownSports1140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sactownsports.com\/newsletters\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SactownSportsEmail-300x250-1.jpg\" style=\"margin: 0 auto;\" class=\"mobile-signup\"\/>\t&#13;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SactownSportsEmail-830x100-1.jpg\" style=\"margin: 0 auto;\" class=\"desktop-signup\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Peja Stojakovic is well remembered in Sacramento for his contributions to the \u201cGreatest Show on Court\u201d Kings of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256000,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-255999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}