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Illinois Basketball: Player expectations for 2017-2018 season

By Rees Woodcock

March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; General view of the court before the game between the Oregon Ducks and the Iona Gaels in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; General view of the court before the game between the Oregon Ducks and the Iona Gaels in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Mar 9, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Te’Jon Lucas (3) shoots the ball as Michigan Wolverines guard Zak Irvin (21) defends in the first half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Te’Jon Lucas

The Illinois basketball team only secured one recruit for the class of 2016 and that player was Te’Jon Lucas. While one player wasn’t nearly enough to fill the lack of depth, Lucas was still great for the Illini.

Last season, Lucas averaged 4.8 points, 3.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds in the 20.7 minutes he received per game. He led the team in assists as a true freshman as well. His future is extremely bright and we only received a glimpse of what this kid is going to be as a basketball player.

Frustration rained down on Illini Nation last season when Lucas wasn’t getting more minutes early on in the year. He was clearly a top two point guard on the team, and many fans started to realize he was our best option as well.

Lucas didn’t get into his groove until late last season. He started to blossom as a player under a system that was not conducive to that type of production. He will now have a chance to run the court and use his vision like it was meant to be used.

Next season, Lucas might not average a ton more minutes than he did last season. 20.7 minutes per game is solid but he could get a slight bump. Look for him to average about 22 minutes per game. In addition to his minutes, look for his production to increase. With Underwood’s offense, Lucas will have an opportunity for more assists. He will average around 7.4 points and 6.5 assists per game next season for the Illini.

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