Illinois Basketball: 5 takeaways from the Illini win over Austin Peay

3. Leron Black needs to be more efficient

Everyone sees what type of player Leron Black is on the basketball court. The kid has so much talent and it is frustrating when you see him struggle. He can be a special player with time but I don’t know if it will ever happen.

If I am an opposing defense, I need to watch about five minutes of game tape on Black. His game is, essentially, get the ball, dribble to the block and either lose the ball or shoot a little baby shot. That is his repertoire on offense but it is way too predictable. It is also pretty inefficient as well.

Black finished the game last night with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, which is great. But, he also added five turnovers as well, which is not great. These turnovers could lead to opposing team’s points and that is why Austin Peay was so close at the end. Giving up that many turnovers as a big man is not good.

I would like to see Black going toward the basket more without the ball. Let the guards find you. I want to see more pick-and-rolls. I think Black would thrive in that environment. Te’Jon Lucas has a great chemistry with him and seeing both of these players perform the pick-and-roll would be amazing for this team.

Something has to change with what Black is doing. I like his aggression but he is a player who shouldn’t be putting the rock on the floor. He should be close enough to the basket where he has to only dribble once or at most twice.