David Mirkovic injury update is small but positive for Illinois basketball to get him back on the court

The start to the 2026-27 season has not been a surprise for the Illinois basketball program.

We are 2-1 as of writing this article, and the one loss for the Illini was a six-point road defeat at the hands of No. 16 Texas Tech.

Illinois has been missing two key pieces in preseason All-American David Mirkovic and our best three-point shooter in Jake Davis. On Thursday, Brad Underwood gave us an update on Mirkovic's status.

"He's (David Mirkovic) out of the boot. He's starting his process. He has an appointment today for his appendix and how that is looking."

That isn't an Earth-shaking update from Underwood, but while it is small, it is also positive. Illinois could use any positive update on our All-American that we can get.

"He starts his procedural process back in pools and AlterG. He is shooting a basketball again, which means his stomach is in an okay spot where it is not too painful."

The fact that Mirkovic is starting his rehab to get back on the court is always a good sign. He is working in pools to get stronger, and the AlterG is an anti-gravity treadmill that helps with sports recovery.

Mirkovic's appendix issue was a wrench thrown into the entire situation. The fact that he can now shoot the basketball without pain is great news. That issue seems to be nearly behind him.

Illinois basketball needs David Mirkovic back in action for one massive reason

Through three games, Illinois has looked pretty good without Mirkovic and Davis. The first half against Texas Tech was ugly, but the Illini bounced back and nearly took the game in the second half.

Illinois would benefit greatly from both players returning, but in Mirkovic's case in particular, we need him back for rebounding.

I know that Illinois leads the country in rebounding right now. We average 53.0 rebounds per game. That number is massively skewed, though. Illinois had over 60 rebounds in each of the first two games against garbage teams.

The real rebounding number reared its ugly head against the Red Raiders. Illinois lost the rebounding battle 43-32, which is -11 in the rebounding department. That is unacceptable.

This is also where Mirkovic's team-leading 8.0 rebounds per game last season would come in handy. That is a ton of production on the glass that is missing.

Illinois has had to rely on freshmen to rebound the basketball. In the game against Texas Tech, the Illini freshmen - Quentin Coleman, Ethan Brown, Lincoln Williams, Zavier Zens, and Lucas Morillo - accounted for 16 of the 32 rebounds. That is 50% of the rebounds coming from the freshmen.

While the Illini were competitive against a good Texas Tech team, we are not a top-five program without Mirkovic and Davis. We need them back, and it sounds like at least Mirkovic is starting the process of returning. Help is on the horizon.

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This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as David Mirkovic injury update is small but positive for Illinois basketball to get him back on the court.