Illinois Basketball: Most underrated player heading into 2017-18 season

Illinois basketball fans are excited about this upcoming season. There is so much potential for this program under Brad Underwood.

Some of the players who will suit up for the Illini this season are expected to do great things. There are also some players who are, overall, underrated. Being underrated is really subjective but there are many reasons Illini fans believe certain players are underrated, or not for that matter.

In a short poll today on Twitter, I asked who the most underrated player for the Illini basketball team is right now. I gave three options – Leron Black, Michael Finke, Da’Monte Williams – plus an “other” option with the ability to reply with their pick. The poll came back fairly even.

Finke led the way with 31-percent of the vote as being the most underrated Illini player heading into the upcoming season. Williams was No. 2 with 27-percent of the vote followed by Black with 22-percent and other with 20-percent.

I can understand the sentiment of having Finke as the most underrated player heading into next season. He wasn’t used right by the previous regime and no one really talks about him as a serious threat for this team. But, Illini fans know, this kid has talent shooting the ball and that is what Underwood’s offense specializes in.

Finke will be utilized much better this season and people will be talking about this kid as one of the most improved on the Illini team this winter.

Black still received 22-percent of the vote but a few fans made some good points on him. Dave (@nyillini311) said Black isn’t underrated because he came in with hype and is finally starting to show why that hype was given to him. I would agree with this statement. Black was a top 100 recruit and arguably the biggest get for John Groce. But, he hasn’t been what Illini fans expected. That started to change toward the end of last season, and he should be fun to watch for the next few years.

The 20-percent who voted other made some good points as well. Dave brought up Te’Jon Lucas, who had a tremendous year last season but has gotten lost in the talks because people continue to drool over Mark Smith and Trent Frazier. All three of these guards will be sensational. Cade (@cade_grove), Jared (@JaredKonrardy) and Phil (@PdavisPhilip) all brought up Kipper Nichols as well.

Honestly, I probably should have put Nichols on this list instead of Black. He has so much untapped potential and we got to see a glimpse of it last season. He is now in a system that fits his game perfectly.

The only player I would go with, though, is Da’Monte Williams. The question was brought up about how could he be underrated when he hasn’t played a game in the Orange and Blue? Let me tell you how.

Williams is coming into this program as a guard who isn’t being talked about…at all. He doesn’t have hype and he should because he has so much talent. Just remember folks, at one time this kid was ranked by Scout as the No. 45 player and by 247Sports as the No. 46 player in the class of 2017.

After a few injuries that made Williams sit out some time, the recruiting sites started to drop him down the rankings. He finished ranked No. 181 according to the final Scout rankings. A player doesn’t magically become bad at basketball.

Next: Reaction to new Scout.com 2018 player rankings

This kid has a lot to offer this Illinois basketball program and don’t be surprised if he becomes a star. The 27-percent who voted Williams as the most underrated, I agree. No matter what, the future is bright for the Illini. All of these players should do well this season.