Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: Illini Players Improving or Declining this Season?

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 3, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Malcolm Hill (21) drives to the basket as Maryland Terrapins forward Robert Carter (4) defends during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Malcolm Hill (21) drives to the basket as Maryland Terrapins forward Robert Carter (4) defends during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Dec 21, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Maverick Morgan (22) shoots as Missouri Tigers forward Russell Woods (25) defends during a basketball game at Scottrade Center. Illinois won 75-66. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Maverick Morgan (22) shoots as Missouri Tigers forward Russell Woods (25) defends during a basketball game at Scottrade Center. Illinois won 75-66. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Maverick Morgan (Improved)

Last season Illinois had to play Maverick Morgan a lot more than they wanted to due to injury.  But, that experience helped him improve as a player.

This season Morgan is receiving 22.2 MPG, which is up from the 21.1 MPG last season.  He has improved from 8.3 PPG last season to 10.2 PPG this season.

Morgan’s turnovers are up slightly from 1.1 TPG last season to 1.7 TPG this season, but his other key stats are up.

Last season Morgan averaged 3.5 RPG and now he is at 3.9 RPG.  He went from .6 APG to .8 APG and from .5 BPG to .8 BPG.

I also like that Morgan has improved in the shooting efficiency as well.  He only shot 56.4-percent from the field last season and he has that up to 60-percent this season.

Although, Morgan did decline in the free throw shooting.  He was shooting 73.9-percent last season and now he is at 68.3-percent.

On the stat sheet, Morgan has improved in most statistics.  But, what really impresses me is how much he has improved in the eye test.

Morgan goes down as an improved player for the Illini and I hope he continues to improve the rest of the season.

Home/Illinois Basketball