One of the biggest questions pertaining to the Illinois basketball team has been, what will happen with the No. 5 role?
Brad Underwood and the Illinois coaching staff set out to get a few more big men to solidify this spot. They ended up snagging Matic Vesel and Greg Eboigbodin. Both of these players are wildcards to this point in their career. We aren’t sure what they will bring to the table but there are some options at least.
I think some people are forgetting about a potential starter for the next two years, though. What if I said Illinois has a 6-foot-10 athletic big man who can shoot from the outside? What if I said Illinois has a player who can not only play solid defense but also can run the court?
Well, Illinois does have that player and his name is Michael Finke. Finke has had his moments over the last few years. There were times he impressed me on the court and then there were times he needed clear improvement. But, moving forward, I think he is a viable option for the Illini.
There are some things that Finke did well last year that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. We all know that he averaged 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds. He also shot 41.1-percent from the three-point line and 48.3-percent from field goal range. His shooting has never been in question for this basketball team.
Usually, big men like Finke aren’t the best at perimeter defense or rotating when he needs to. But, Finke bucks that trend. He is a big man that has solid perimeter defense that really helped the Illini last season. Were there times he got burned? Sure, but that happens to everyone. But, Finke carried great fundamentals by keeping hands up in the face of the shooter and he squared his body up. He would do this on a consistent basis and it will be needed this season.
Another area that I am excited about is Finke’s ability to run the court at his size. He always hustles on the court and that will be a huge asset in Underwood’s system. He will give headaches to opposing team’s big men. Watch for Finke to get some easy baskets this season due to his speed and leaving the opposing No. 5 behind because they are so tired.
Of course, there are some areas that Finke needs to continue to work on. He wasn’t the most intimidating big man last season for the Illini. He was strong-armed a lot underneath the basket but it does look like he has bulked up a lot this offseason, so that should help. The increased strength will also help with his blocking out ability as well. He struggled at times with blocking out last season but that should be improved this year as well.
Next: Thoughts on the Talen Horton-Tucker situation
Don’t worry Illini fans, for the next few years the team will have a solid big man who will anchor the middle. Finke is a good No. 5 and he has a few solid backups as well. The position actually looks better than many people are making it out to be.