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.