Illinois Basketball: The good, the bad, and the expectations for Trent Frazier

Expectations

Enter the 2021-22 campaign, I have high expectations from Trent Frazier. He is a super-senior on this team, and he is a key player in the effort to win Illinois their first national title.

Last season, Frazier ended up averaging 10.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. I see him getting about the same number of minutes, which came out to 33.7 minutes per contest.

On the scoring front, a slightly better shooting percentage would be nice to see. I want to see Frazier’s three-point shooting at around 37.5%. This would make him a more dangerous threat. Inside of the three-point arc, I want to see him hitting his two-point shots at over 50%. This should increase his scoring to somewhere in the ballpark of 12.5 points per game.

I don’t expect Frazier’s rebounds to increase too much, but his assists should see a spike due to Ayo Dosunmu departing. Frazier can handle the ball well, and Andre Curbelo will need help at times. This should raise Frazier up to around 3.8 assists per game.

By the end of the season, I think a realistic stat line could look something like 12.5 points, 3.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. He would easily shoot 37.5% from three-point range as well.

Frazier has a solid chance to climb onto one of the All-American teams this season. He has the talent to be one of the best players in the nation. College basketball better keep an eye on this kid.