Well I disagree. I love all of our Illini that you mentioned and I am glad TSJ, Hawk, and Dain are still on the team. I wouldn't assume who our starters are a year out. Things can change and players get better. Players like Podz or Bufkin at Scum are good examples. Podz had one of the most productive seasons in all of college hoops last season. He was absolutely good enough to start last seasonn and not only start but be the best player unless Santa Clara develops better players which i doubt.. He also excelled at the combine and was a first round pick because of it. I am a die hard illini but I won't throw shade at a kid by saying he wasn't good enough to play here when he clearly was and is currently viewed by NBA execs as such. I mean he is good enough to play for the Warriors now but 6 months ago he couldn't here? Can't we just say good luck to him and admit he got away?
We have the benefit of hindsight and plenty are making assertions based on that hindsight.
I agree with you that things can change and players can get better, but even still (without the benefit of hindsight) he likely wasn't starting on last year's team. Could he have been a solid bench/rotation guy, sure, but he wouldn't nearly have been as effective against Big 10 opponents as he was the UC-Irvines that he faced at Santa Clara.
The situation a player goes into is arguably one of the most important factors that determines a player's success and is often overlooked. An example that I like using is that if Tom Brady was drafted by the Cleveland Browns then he is likely out of the league by the end of his rookie contract or he is a career backup. Going to NE was paramount to his success. The situation here, with the caliber of opponents the Illini face, and the overall talent level of teammates, I think it's unlikely Podz would have ever been drafted in the first round. I don't think he "got away" as he would likely not be the same player if he had stayed here. As I said before, Podz made a good decision for himself to go to Santa Clara.