Illinois junior Kofi Cockburn will enter the 2022 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility.

“I’m closing one of the most amazing chapters of my life,” Cockburn told ESPN on Wednesday. “I’m proud of what we accomplished in college, but I am not sure it can get much better than that. It’s a scary challenge now and I’m excited to rise to the occasion and try and prove people wrong.

“Thinking back to where I was three years ago when I entered college — people would be amazed to see the progress I made in becoming a two-time All-American. I’m planning on doing the same exact thing in my professional career: pushing my game to new heights.”

Cockburn already entered the NBA draft twice in 2020 and 2021 and cannot withdraw his name from consideration for a third time, according to league rules, making him ineligible to return to college basketball.

“I’m 100% in now,” Cockburn said. “I’m not going back to college. I’m signing with agent Todd Ramasar. I’ve tested the waters enough, I’m 100% dedicated to going all the way.”

Cockburn, a consensus first-team All-American, was the only player in college basketball to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this past season. He led Illinois to a 23-10 record and a Big Ten championship, which the Fighting Illini shared with Wisconsin. It was the first time Illinois won a regular-season title since 2005.

“If you watched us play, we had a lot of ups and downs,” Cockburn said. “A lot of injuries, COVID, players coming in and out — it was tough. We had to adjust. People are going to be wondering years from now what it was like to play college basketball during a pandemic.

“It was hard to be an All-American two years in a row. We proved to be winners regardless. We had the most wins in the last three years in the Big Ten of any team. People will remember that forever. NBA teams know I’m a winner now. I love to have fun, but I’m a competitor. It wasn’t about my individual goals. Winning was always the priority. That speaks for itself.”

A 7-foot-1 big man born in Kingston, Jamaica, Cockburn was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second straight season. He was a finalist for several player of the year awards, including the Wooden and Naismith as well as the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, presented to the nation’s best center.

“My dream is to be one of the best players in the NBA, especially from Jamaica,” Cockburn said. “I’m playing for something bigger than myself. This is for my country, my people.”

Cockburn, the No. 89 prospect in the ESPN 100, established himself as one of the most physically imposing players in the college game the past three years, with his 7-foot-4 wingspan, 9-foot-3 standing reach and 285-pound frame. His 341 points scored with his back to the basket ranked second in college basketball, according to Synergy Sports Technology.

“I know I’ll have to be a different play in the NBA than I was in college,” he said. “I’m excited about the opportunity. It won’t be about being a low-post scorer against double teams. I’m actually excited about not seeing double teams anymore. From now on it’s about my dedication to being the most fit athlete possible. I look around the league and I’m inspired by the level of physicality and conditioning. That’s where I need to get. There’s no fat on my body, but I can lean out and get faster, quicker, more athletic.

“The NBA values players like Steven Adams and Jonas Valanciunas — guys who set great screens, who know the pick and roll game, how to slip and seal, how to be a physical defender and rebounder who blocks shots. My size can be a major advantage in the NBA. I don’t need the ball to be happy.”

With Cockburn off to the pro ranks, Illinois will need to replace possibly five of its top seven scorers, with Alfonso Plummer, Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams all out of eligibility after five years in college. Sophomore Andre Curbelo elected to transfer to St. John’s, while senior Jacob Grandison is currently undecided about returning for his fifth season of eligibility.

Illinois is bringing in a strong recruiting class with three top-100 prospects in Skyy Clark, Ty Rodgers and Jayden Epps, and is expected to be aggressive pursuing veterans in the transfer portal, especially in the frontcourt. Sophomore power forward Coleman Hawkins looks poised for a breakout season, and freshman small forward RJ Melendez was highly regarded coming into college.

The NBA draft combine will be May 16-22 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 23 in Brooklyn, New York.

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.

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Jump ahead: Game of the night | Picks and props | Analytics edge

All odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook.

What you need to know for Wednesday’s playoff games

Rousing Rivalry: Can Kevin Durant surpass his point prop of 29.5 against a stingy Celtics defense? After all, he has topped this number just once in three meetings with Boston during the regular season. Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart could be a smart bet for two turnovers created after producing at least two stocks in four of five meetings with Brooklyn this season. The Celtics are 24-14 against the spread when playing a team with a winning record this season, including Sunday’s thrilling last-second win. The Nets, meanwhile, are 14-6 ATS when seeking to avenge a loss to an opponent on the road.

Slick Nic: While Game 1 of the Nets-Celtics series was an instant classic with star players making play after play, Nic Claxton was also a solid contributor. Nothing he does is flashy, but on his 23rd birthday, he converted 6 of 8 shots and pulled down a team-best eight rebounds in 31 minutes. Claxton’s minutes count is encouraging against a Celtics defense without Robert Williams III. Efficiency is something we can count on for Claxton as he has made 51 of 65 shots (78.5%) over the past month. It’s not exciting, but Claxton is a live DFS play and worth a look in the various prop markets in this spot.

Bank On Boucher: With Scottie Barnes currently questionable, Chris Boucher should see an increase in usage. He put up 17 points and 8 rebounds (with a pair of blocks) in 30 minutes Monday, and a similar stat line is expected Wednesday night. He played 30 minutes 14 times during the regular season and averaged 17.2 PPG with 10.6 RPG over that span. His double-double prop is worth a look once Barnes’ status is official. Boucher’s expanded role also looks good for those playing the three-game DFS slate as well.

Collaborative Creation: With Lonzo Ball out for the season, the Bulls still don’t have a traditional creator in their rotation. Distribution duties tend to shift between several key Chicago contributors. In Game 1 against the Bucks, the Bulls saw four players post at least 10 potential assists. DeMar DeRozan led the pack with 14 potential assists in Sunday’s loss to Milwaukee. DeRozan’s assist prop currently sits at 5.5, evidence there is untapped upside in his betting prop market.

— Jim McCormick and Kyle Soppe

Game of the night

Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics
7 p.m. ET, Barclays Center, Brooklyn

Line: Celtics (-3.5)
Money line: Celtics (-160), Nets (+140)
Total: 226 points
BPI Projected Total: 219.4 points
BPI Win%: Celtics (87.4%)

Key players ruled out: Ben Simmons

Best bet: Nets ML (+140). Kevin Durant is better than how he played Sunday, and the Nets still scored 114 points on the best defense in the league, despite his struggles. However, Brooklyn’s supporting cast must step up after Seth Curry, Patty Mills and Bruce Brown were relatively ineffective in Game 1. Kyrie Irving feeds off the Boston crowd and without Robert Williams III on the court, he will continue to stay hot. The Nets’ defense has improved over the past month, holding the C’s to just 19 points in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. It is not comparable to the Celtics? Absolutely not, but I still like Brooklyn to win Game 2 outright. — Erin Dolan

play0:28

Best bet: Durant over 29.5 points. Durant had one of his worst scoring games of the season in Game 1, requiring 24 field goal attempts to score 23 points and losing six turnovers. While the Celtics have an excellent defense, Durant was visibly out of rhythm, missing a lot of shots that he normally makes. He shot 50% or better from the floor in his two games against the Celtics during the regular season, and dropped 37 points on 21 shots in his last regular-season outing. I fully expect a huge bounce-back game from Durant, who knows the Nets need this game to have a chance to win the series. — Andre Snellings

Best bet: Durant over 29.5 points. Durant has averaged nearly 39 points in his first game following a loss. The only exception was an 11-point performance in 2019 when he ruptured an Achilles. All of the pressure is on Durant tonight. He knows that he must play better in Game 2 if the Nets want to win the series. — Eric Moody

Breaking down the rest of the slate

Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks
9:30 p.m. ET, Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee

Line: Bucks (-10)
Money line: Bucks (-550), Bulls (+400)
Total: 225 points
BPI Projected Total: 221.2 points
BPI Win%: Bucks (88.5%)

Key players ruled out: none

Best bet: Bucks (-10). The Bucks are 5-0 against the Bulls this season and won their last two regular-season matchups by a combined 49 points, and dominated the early part of Game 1 before the Bulls were able to fight their way back in the second half. The Bucks scored 34 points in the first quarter of Game 1, then managed only 59 points over the next three quarters, which is extremely out of character for a Bucks team that was third in the NBA with 115.5 points scored per game. Look for them to revert to their norm and put a big number on the board Wednesday. — Snellings

Best bet: Bulls (+10). The Bulls’ shooting woes were well documented in Game 1. It’s easy to assume Chicago had problems with Milwaukee’s defense, but it’s also worth noting that the Bucks’ defensive philosophy is to take away the inside and force opponents to shoot jumpers. The Bulls should shoot better and cover the spread in Game 2. — Moody

Best bet: DeMar DeRozan over 27.5 points. DeRozan made only six out of 25 shots from the field Sunday due to the Bucks’ wings harassing him. Milwaukee prefers opponents to shoot jumpers, and after the game DeRozan vowed he would never have a shooting night like that again. I believe him. During the regular season, DeRozan averaged 28 PPG and shot 50.2% from the field, so it’s safe to expect a bounce-back performance.

Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors
8 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto

Line: 76ers (-1.5)
Money line: 76ers (-125), Raptors (+105)
Total: 216.5 points
BPI Projected Total: 218.9 points
BPI Win%: Raptors (60.2%)

Key players ruled out: Matisse Thybulle

Questionable: Gary Trent Jr., Scottie Barnes

Best bet: 76ers -1.5. The Raptors have shown they have no way of stopping Joel Embiid. This trend should continue for the 76ers on the road as well. The 76ers were a stronger team on the road than at home all season, finishing with a 27-14 road record and 24-17 home record. The spread for this game is too small, especially with Philadelphia on a roll. — Moody

Analytics edge

BPI highest projected totals

1. Milwaukee Bucks (117.7 points)
2. Boston Celtics (116.0 points)
3. Toronto Raptors (111.2 points)

BPI lowest projected totals

1. Brooklyn Nets (103.3 points)
2. Chicago Bulls (104.3 points)
3. Philadelphia 76ers (108.0 points)

BPI top probability to win (straight up)

1. Milwaukee Bucks (88.2%)
2. Boston Celtics (87.4%)
3. Toronto Raptors (61.2%)

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MIAMI — The vision of Jimmy Butler, slumped over a baseline barricade, during the 2020 NBA Finals in the Orlando bubble has been painted into the tapestry of the league’s collective consciousness. In that series, the Miami Heat star went toe-to-toe with LeBron James and the Lakers, notching 40- and 35-point triple-doubles while pushing Los Angeles to the brink.

The Butler who scored a career playoff-best 45 points in the Heat’s 115-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday to go up 2-0 in their first-round series, he said, has changed since that defining run.

“I am a different player now than I was then,” Butler said after a personal 7-0 run in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter increased Miami’s lead from three to 10 to secure the game. “I just always want to play basketball the right way and do whatever it takes to help this team, this organization win. That’s why they brought me here.”

Since Butler joined the Heat as a free agent in 2019, he led the team to two wins away from the title in the Bubble, but then bowed out to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in a first-round sweep last year.

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His transformation has been triggered by the addition of Kyle Lowry, who brought championship experience with him when he left the Toronto Raptors to sign with the Heat last summer.

“I’m not as ball-dominant as I was in the Bubble,” Butler said. “We got a point guard, and that’s Kyle and I love him being a point guard. … I just get to go out there and try to score. And if I can’t score, pass the ball. We’re a different team, I’m a different player.”

On Tuesday, he was also a different player than he was during the regular season, when he shot just 23.3% on 3-pointers. Butler went 4-for-7 from deep in Game 2, while Atlanta marksman Trae Young shot 2-for-10 on 3-pointers, bringing his series total to just 2-for-17.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the sudden explosion from the outside reminded him of the only other player besides James in team history to match Butler’s three career 40-point playoff games for the franchise: Dwyane Wade.

“It actually is a good comparison because if you get in those pressure moments and the moments of truth, if you’re on the other side, would you ever want to just give Dwyane Wade an open 3? You would not,” Spoelstra said. “Because he’s a killer. He’s going to seize that moment. And Jimmy has a lot of those same qualities. You can say whatever the percentage is — throw those all out when it becomes about winning. He’ll find a way to kill you.”

Only he’ll do it in his own way. On Tuesday afternoon, Butler passed the time leading up to tipoff by sharing on his Instagram story that he was listening to “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys and playing the card game, Spades.

“Whooped their tail, too,” Butler said of the card game. “I’m a huge fan of the Backstreet Boys and I just love to compete at anything.”

Lowry said Butler’s fun-loving ways are only part of the equation.

“I think you have to have that dark side and kind of that demeanor to push other people to be better,” he said of Butler. “But you also have to have the talent and the work ethic to do it. You can talk about it, but if you’re not about it and you don’t show, it’s a difference. And he shows it.”

Butler finished 15-for-25 from the field overall — joining Wade and James as the only Heat players with that many made shots in a playoff game — and was 11-for-12 from the foul line. He had zero turnovers and zero fouls to go with his 45 points, becoming the first player since Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins in 1988 to post a postseason stat line like that.

And he had two steals, one of them coming on an errant pass by Young to give the Hawks guard 10 turnovers for the game — a record for a Heat playoff opponent.

“Just equally as impressive as his offense, he did some amazing things defensively,” Spoelstra said.

The Butler of old took the Heat to the precipice of a champagne celebration, only to fall just short. His coach says the player leading the East’s No. 1 team in the Heat this season is built to go all the way.

“Everybody is looking for the same, conventional box for winning a championship. It can be done in a lot of different ways. Jimmy is a max guy, a go-to guy, a killer,” Spoelstra said. “However you want to describe it, who cares? He knows how to win, he knows how to help teams win and the game is played on both sides of the floor and it’s played with I.Q., it’s played with toughness, it’s played with making plays in those winning moments. It’s not necessarily what everybody thinks it is. …

“He’s just a winner and he showed that tonight.”

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