I think it is fair to say all Illinois basketball fans are feeling that Te’Jon Lucas fever right now. The kid is a freshman and he is doing great things on the court.
I always try to compare college athletes with NBA players just to get an idea of how they would play at the next level. I went through just about every point guard in the NBA, and I think Chris Paul is the one who fits the description.
There are three reasons in my head for this comparison (besides the number of course), and I know some of you think that this may be a little far-fetched. Obviously, Lucas needs to put more points on the board for this to be a true comparison as Chris Paul averages well over 17 points per game, but go ahead and read it for yourself.
No. 1 Assists, Obviously
Lucas is a master at finding the open guy. Not only does he find the open guy, he seeks them out. Every game there is at least three instances where fans are just blown away by an awesome pass from this kid. He had six assists and two turnovers in 33 minutes of action against Northwestern Tuesday night.
Lucas has been the assist machine since arriving on the scene at Illinois, and it is a huge reason why Paul is a good comparison.
No 2. Vision
One great attribute of Paul’s is his ability to see what is going to happen if he places the ball in a certain area of the court. It almost feels like he can see the future.
Lucas has that same weapon in his game. As soon as he starts to run the offense, he can see where the ball needs to go and what will happen once it gets there. This is how he is able to make some ridiculous passes. He can see exactly what needs to happen in order to make that pass, and he sees what the result of that pass will be before he even delivers it.
No. 3 Ability to Run the Offense
I think the biggest complaint about Jaylon Tate and Tracy Abrams is that they take far too long to get into the flow of the offense. When fans watch Lucas, I feel the reaction is quite different.
Lucas immediately gets the offense to where it needs to be and he finds the open guy. Instead of taking 15 to 20 seconds to start the offense, he often gets it going in six seconds or less. This is vital for the Illini if they want to be as efficient as possible on the offensive end.
As a whole, I cannot think of anyone better at running an offense in the NBA than Chris Paul, so I feel like this comparison is a good one, really.
Next: Fans Should Take Cautious Optimism with the Illini
Alright Illini fans, is this comparison good or bad? Remember, Lucas is only a freshman with plenty of room for growth. I would love to see him average 15 points and 7 or 8 assists per game as well. Now those really would be Chris Paul numbers.