Illinois basketball: 2019-20 season wrap-up for Andres Feliz

PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 15: Andres Feliz #10 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in action against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during in a college basketball game at Rutgers Athletic Center on February 15, 2020 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 15: Andres Feliz #10 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in action against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during in a college basketball game at Rutgers Athletic Center on February 15, 2020 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

 Andres Feliz was a big contributor for the Illinois basketball team during the 2019-20 season.

Here is the 2019-20 season wrap-up for Andres Feliz

Expectations

Feliz was a spark plug coming off the bench for the Illinois basketball team during the 2018-19 season. He averaged 8.3 points 2.2 assist and 2.9 rebounds and shot 45-percent from the field and 27-percent from three-point range.

My predictions for Feliz this season were 9 points, 3 assist and 3 rebounds per game while shooting 44-percent from the field and 29-percent from three-point range. I predicted these stats because Feliz was most likely going to be coming off the bench. I didn’t know if he was going to get a good amount of touches on offense.

Reality

Feliz exceeded my expectations this season. He averaged 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 46-percent from the field and 27.4-percent from three-point range. Feliz was one of the best, if not the best, rebounding guards in the Big Ten. He also stepped up on offense when other players were having off-nights.

Feliz was one of the best perimeter defenders on the team this season as well. While on paper he only averaged 0.7 steals, that stat doesn’t tell the full story on defense. He did a good job when defending on-ball or off-ball. He was very versatile because he would defend both guard positions and sometimes small forwards. Feliz made his presence felt every game on defense as he was a defensive leader on the team.

Future

This past season was Feliz’s final year with the Illini. He will have a successful pro career if he decides to go that route. He may get NBA offers in the future if he can improve his shooting from the three-point arc. His presence on the court will be hard to fill on the Illinois basketball team next year.