Kipper Nichols played an important role off the bench for this Illinois basketball team this past season.
Here is Kipper Nichols season wrap-up.
Expectations
Kipper’s 2018-19 season was sub-par as he averaged 5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He shot 42-percent from the field and 21-percent from three-point range while shooting 5.4 shots per game. For most of 2018-19, he was inconsistent but had a few good games.
For the 2019-20 season, I predicted Kipper would average 4.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 49-percent from the field and 23-percent from the three-point arc. I predicted these stats for Kipper because he wasn’t going to have the ball in his hands as much due to the fact other players were going to have a bigger role than him. He has also never had a big offensive role on this Illini team either.
Reality
Kipper didn’t average the exact stats I predicted, but he still produced off the bench. He averaged 3.4 points, 2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game while shooting 38-percent from the field and 10-percent from three-point range. He also attempted 3.5 shots per game.
Kipper struggled on offense last season for the Illini. His defense was where he made the biggest impact. Early in the season, he was inconsistent but later in conference play, he played good defense against some bigger opponents.
Future
This past season was Kipper’s last being a part of the Illinois basketball program because he was a senior. I thank him for lasting through the tough times with this program. But for his pro basketball career, I don’t know what to expect because I can’t picture him playing in the NBA or overseas.