Illinois Basketball: Illini depth chart with Samba Kane and Tevian Jones

No. 3 Guard/Forward

Starter: Tevian Jones

This spot is extremely difficult considering Tevian Jones could be coming in as a highly rated recruit but Kipper Nicholas played so well toward the end of last season. But, it doesn’t really matter who starts here because the timeshare will be fairly even.

Jones would be a great get for Underwood and his staff. He is a 6-foot-6, 185-pound wing player from Culver City High School in Culver City, California. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 85 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 20 small forward in the nation.

I could see Jones starting for the Illini during his true freshman campaign or he could be behind Nichols. No matter what, he will see the same minutes. Jones is a great player who will give the Illini depth and skill that we haven’t seen in a while. Hopefully, this weekend goes well and we can land him.

Backup: Kipper Nichols

Like I previously mentioned, while Kipper Nichols might be listed as a backup here, I have no doubt there would be an equal timeshare between him and Jones next season.

Nichols had a breakout year for the Illini averaging 10 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. These averages include games where he dropped 31 points and 27 points. I think Nichols took a big step forward toward the end of last year and is a borderline Big Ten caliber starter. That is why I think he is going to split time with Jones next season.

Backup: Aaron Jordan

At the beginning of last season, Aaron Jordan was the darling of this team. He was shooting lights out and playing the best basketball I have ever seen him play.

That great play slowly dwindled but he stilled showed flashes of greatness throughout the year. He is a good backup on this team, and he has already said he is sticking around for his final season. If Illinois can get 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game from him, again, as a backup then I think that would be a great accomplishment.