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Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini roster breakdown for 2017-18

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 18, 2017; Iowa City, IA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5) shoots the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cordell Pemsl (35) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Illinois won 70-66. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2017; Iowa City, IA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5) shoots the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cordell Pemsl (35) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Illinois won 70-66. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 21, 2017; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Aaron Jordan (23), forward Leron Black (12), forward Michael Finke (43), forward Kipper Nichols (2), and guard Tracy Abrams (13) prepare to defend following a timeout during the first half against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center. Illinois beat Northwestern 66 to 50. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 3 Guard/Forward

Starter: Kipper Nichols

One of the great surprises this season was the emergence of Kipper Nichols. He was a transfer from Tulane that was eligible to play after the first semester.

Nichols came into a rotation that still wasn’t set a third of the way through the year and made a huge impact day one. He ended up finishing the season averaging 13.6 minutes, 4.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

I could see Nichols getting the start in the No. 3 spot for the Illini. He is extremely athletic and he has a nice shot from just about anywhere on the court. This is the type of player Underwood dreams of on his basketball team.

Backup: Javon Pickett

Just like Da’Monte Williams, Javon Pickett is another underrated recruit coming in from the class of 2017. He has some serious talent and a wingspan that will impress even NBA scouts.

Pickett is only a three-star in the recruiting ranks but he has really come on the scene a lot over the last year. He has impressed in many high school tournaments and really developed into a scary good player.

I could see Pickett coming in as the backup to Nichols day one. He has that much talent where I could see him getting minutes early on in his career.

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