This past season for the Illinois basketball program was one of the weirdest campaigns I have ever watched.
It didn’t look like the Illini were having much fun on the court, and the quality of play was up and down. Now that the season is over, it is time to take an early look at what the starting lineup and roster might look like for the 2023-24 campaign.
There will be some departures. Matthew Mayer is going to be gone. I hear that Terrence Shannon Jr. could come back, but if I had to bet, he is probably going to declare and stay in the NBA Draft. I know some people might question this, but I also have Coleman Hawkins declaring and staying in the NBA Draft.
My reasoning for Hawkins staying in the draft is that I think he is going to impress scouts. I predict that Hawkins, who is currently projected as a mid-second-round pick, will show NBA evaluators his solid passing skills and ability to shoot with his 6-foot-10 size. He seems like someone who is going to be super impressive in the scouting combine too.
With that being said, I don’t have Shannon and Hawkins in this projection.
Here is the early projected Illinois basketball lineup for the 2023-24 season.
No. 1 Guard
Starter: Jayden Epps (SO)
As for right now, the Illinois basketball program doesn’t have a true point guard with experience entering the 2023-24 campaign. I believe the best option to bring the ball up the court for the Illini is Jayden Epps.
Epps had a pretty good freshman campaign for Illinois. He would finish the season averaging 9.5 points per game, which was a tie for fourth on the team. His shooting numbers do need to improve some, though. Epps was only able to hit 41.4% from the field and 30.1% from three-point range. As he grows and gets stronger, look for Epps to be a dynamic point guard for the Illini. I see him developing into a Damian Lillard-type of player.
Backup: Niccolo Moretti (FR)
Illinois doesn’t have a proven backup at the No. 1 guard spot. About midway through this past season, Brad Underwood was able to land point guard, Niccolo Morretti.
Moretti is an Italian point guard who has tremendous skill, but we haven’t seen him play minutes for the Orange and Blue. This leaves a big question mark on whether or not we have a solid backup option to Epps. This offseason is going to be important for Moretti’s development. If we can get him up to speed, then we should be okay at the No. 1 guard spot next season. I see Moretti entering his first full year with the Illini as the primary backup to Epps at point guard.