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Illinois Basketball: Comparing Illini Players to Their NBA Counterpart

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 18, 2015; Providence, RI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5) and guard Malcolm Hill (21) celebrate during the first half of a game against the Providence Friars at Dunkin Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2015; Providence, RI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5) and guard Malcolm Hill (21) celebrate during the first half of a game against the Providence Friars at Dunkin Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 23, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5) drives the ball against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Scottrade Center. The Illinois Fighting Illini defeat the Missouri Tigers 68-63. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5) drives the ball against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Scottrade Center. The Illinois Fighting Illini defeat the Missouri Tigers 68-63. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Jalen Coleman-Lands

The Illinois basketball team was shorthanded this past season, but one silver lining to the injury situation was the fact Jalen Coleman-Lands received more minutes.

JCL was phenomenal this past season.  He quickly developed into the best shooter on the team and he could also move around pretty well.

Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini /

Illinois Fighting Illini

Last season JCL averaged 10.3 PPG and shot 42 percent from the three point arc.  These are impressive numbers for any player in college basketball, let alone a true freshman.

In his sophomore season, JCL should develop his game even more.  We saw a great shooting performance; now let’s see a larger repertoire.

Reminds Me Of: Ray Allen, Retired

The ability of JCL to be able to shoot the three point shot, while also being able to move around the floor and get to the rim is a very rare skill.

I have seen few players with this set of skills and the one that JCL reminds me the most of is Ray Allen.

Allen played three seasons at UConn before heading to the NBA.  He really developed his three-point shot throughout college and finished his career with a three-point percentage of 44.8.

Once Allen entered the NBA, he started to develop some size so he could deal with the beatings of the NBA.  He played for Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston, and Miami in his 18 year NBA career.

Even in the twilight of his career, Allen could always knock down the three and make defenders miss off the dribble-drive.

Next: Malcolm Hill

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