Obviously, the topics of discussion surrounding Illinois basketball at this point is the guard play or the lack of post play.
There is an abundance of good-to-great guards on the roster who will be looking to make a huge impact in the Orange and Blue next season. Who will produce the most? Who will take the reins as the starting point guard? Who makes the starting five and who will be on the pine? Let’s get into it.
No. 1 Te’Jon Lucas (Sophomore)
Te’Jon Lucas won the starting point guard job last season as Tracy Abrams and Jaylon Tate struggled to get the offense moving. He does have some issues scoring the basketball, but he gets into the offense quick and he really moves the ball. At times last season, Abrams and Tate dribbled too much and never got the offense where it needed to be.
Lucas was fluid and had great vision, but he still needs to figure out how to get an outside shot. Once he has that, defenders will have to respect the shot, and it will open up his dribble drive game.
Lucas’ defense will find him a lot of minutes, especially with his ability to create turnovers. Without a ton of post players, his defense will become all the more important. Underwood will definitely get the most out of Lucas, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will be the starter next season.
Prediction: Starter