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Illinois Basketball: Top 5 most important players for the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Kipper Nichols
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Kipper Nichols /
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Illinois basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ – FEBRUARY 25: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) during the first half of the College Basketball Game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 25, 2018, at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Trent Frazier

Every Illinois basketball fan saw how special Trent Frazier was last season. This kid stepped onto the court and was sensational from day one. He took over as the leader of this program and that title will be with him for as long as he is in Champaign.

Frazier is one of the top five most important Illini players this season because, well, look what he did last season. He was incredible and I expect the same out of him this season as well. This kid has everything you want in a basketball player.

The first thing I want to see is his leadership continue to grow on this team. He has another great player coming entering in Ayo Dosunmu. That dynamic is going to be interesting to see. Dosunmu is going to be talked about more, but how will Frazier deal with that? That is the question I want to see answered. I think he will step up and continue being a great leader on this team.

I would also like to see Frazier get more efficient as well. He only shot 2.8 free throws per game and made them at a 64.4-percent clip. With the way he plays, I want to see Frazier getting to the line some more. I also want to see his three-point percentage increase as well. He shot 34.7-percent from deep last season.

Frazier is a big-time player for this Illini program. His success is likely to determine the success of the Illinois basketball team.

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