Illinois Basketball: Comparing Illini Players to Their NBA Counterpart

Michael Finke

Illinois received a lot of help offensively this past season when Michael Finke emerged as one of the best shooters on the team.

Finke has great size at 6-foot-10, 230-pounds, but he also has the ability to step out and take the three-point shot when needed.

By no means is Finke a polished player, though.  He was a liability at times on defense and his rebounding ability was a little off.

More from Writing Illini

• Illinois Football: 5 Illini players who need more snaps against FAU
• Illinois football vs. Florida Atlantic first half and game betting lines
• Bret Bielema has made Illinois football a nationally competitive program
• Illinois Football: Predicting how the Illini will finish the 2023 season
• Illinois Football: Illini quarterback controversy is on the horizon

Since Finke was a freshman, I expect him to improve heading into his sophomore campaign.  He is getting stronger and that is going to go a long way in improving his rebounding and defense.

Reminds Me Of: Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks

It was hard to think of a player who has the size that Finke possesses and the shooting ability that he brings night in and night out.

I landed on rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks.

Porzingis has only played one season in the NBA, but his game is transitioning over nicely from overseas.  He can shoot the three point shot and has great touch around the paint as well.

The rebounding for Porzingis is a little lower than it should be for this 7-foot-3 frame, but he plays more outside of the paint.

Next: The Importance of Micah Jones

The shooting ability of both Porzingis and Finke are similar in the fashion that they both shoot the three and are big men.  They both also don’t play in the paint very often.

I think this is about as close as you can get to finding a similar player in the NBA for Finke.