Kipper Nichols was an addition to the Illinois basketball team a few years back that I thought could help this program get over the bubble.
It has been an interesting journey for Nichols so far. Here is his 2018-2019 season wrap-up.
Expectations
The first year under Brad Underwood was sensational for Nichols. He put up 10 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He started to shine a little bit in the final year of the John Groce regime, and then Underwood’s scheme seemed to work with Nichols so well.
Entering this past season, I was expecting big things from Nichols. I wanted him to be the No. 3 on the team who could run the court and be a headache for opposing teams. He has a great body for the game and the ability to put the ball in the hoop.
I wanted to see a slight uptick in Nichols numbers. The 10 points he averaged the prior year was fine. If he could give us that, I would be happy. I was looking for at least five rebounds per game. I wanted to see these strong numbers.
Reality
Nichols had a massively disappointing season all-around. I am not saying he is a disappointment as a person, but his numbers and what we saw on the court was disappointing.
Nichols finished the season averaging 5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in 18.1 minutes of action. That is about the same number of minutes for almost half the production. But, he was around the same shooting rate, though. He shot 43.8-percent the year prior and 42.7-percent this season.
I know Nichols had a bad year but, honestly, I think Illinois had a serious team chemistry issue. There was always something off about this team where players weren’t getting all the potential out of their game. I have my suspicions on what it is, but I think there was definitely something off.
Future
Nichols has a chance to redeem himself next season. He is entering his senior campaign and should be up for a starting job. He will have a chance to shine and win the job back.
I could see Tevian Jones or a graduate transfer trying to take Nichols starting job, though. But, he will have every chance in the world to take the reins on the No. 3 spot and perform well. It will be interesting to see how his final year in Champaign plays out, though.