The Illinois basketball team ended last season with a point guard duo who actually could win games in the future.
2017-2018 Starters
The starters last season at the No. 1 spot varied. Te’Jon Lucas began the season as the lead man but as time went on, it was evident true freshman Trent Frazier was the man for the job. The transition from Lucas to Frazier started in the game against the Michigan Wolverines. Frazier finished that game with eight points and five turnovers but continued to improve from there.
For much of the Big Ten Conference slate, Frazier remained the starter with Lucas coming off the bench. But, for the last three games, Brad Underwood went with both Lucas and Frazier in the starting rotation. I thought both players performed beautifully together.
By seasons end, Frazier averaged 12.5 points, 3.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game while Lucas came in with 5.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game. That type of production at the No. 1 spot for the Illini is exactly what I am looking for next season. But, there are some changes in the backcourt.
2018-2019 Starters
Frazier is going to be back in the Orange and Blue, but Lucas has decided to take his talents elsewhere moving forward. The most recent reports have Milwaukee or Bradley as potential landing spots. After his departure, Illinois was left looking for answers.
There are two scenarios I see playing out at the No. 1 spot. I have projected Frazier moving over to the No. 2 spot and having incoming freshman Ayo Dosunmu at the No. 1 spot. But, for this scenario, I want to go with a more conservative approach. I will leave Frazier in the No. 1 slot. He will be starting next year and this would be a great role for him.
Behind Frazier would have been Lucas but since he has departed, Andres Feliz will be taking over. I liked Lucas and what he brought to the team, but he had his flaws. Lucas wasn’t the best distributor, he wasn’t a great scorer and he wasn’t terribly impactful on the court when he got his chance to play. I think we are upgrading with Feliz coming in.
Feliz brings experience at the college level after playing two years at Northwest Florida State. He averaged 20 points, 6.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game during his sophomore campaign. His ability to score is going to be a great asset behind Frazier this season. Having Feliz come in and the team not miss a beat is invaluable.
Next: Projected Illini starting lineup with Andres Feliz
Overall, I think Illinois upgraded at the No. 1 guard position. Frazier is going to be a more efficient player with a year under his belt at the college level and in Underwood’s system. Feliz is going to come in and be a better scorer than what we could have had this season with Lucas. I really like this move by the Illini.