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Illinois Basketball: Potential projected Illini lineup with recent transfer portal additions

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 2, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts to the Illinois fighting Illini fans before the start of Thursday’s game with the Michigan Wolverines at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts to the Illinois fighting Illini fans before the start of Thursday’s game with the Michigan Wolverines at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) passes the ball during the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament game against the Penn State Nittany Lions, Thursday, March 9, 2023, at United Center in Chicago. Penn State Nittany Lions won 79-76.Psuill030923 Am11997 /

Brad Underwood has the Illinois basketball team looking pretty solid after a successful start to the transfer portal.

Through the first few weeks of the offseason, the Illini were struggling. We lost a couple of key players to the transfer portal, and no one was committing to play for the Orange and Blue next season. But, on Monday, Illinois received two huge transfer portal commitments.

These commitments fill some massive voids in the lineup. There is also the potential for a couple of players to return to the roster. I put together a projected lineup that included the players who are still, technically, on the Illinois roster as of right now. This is how the lineup could potentially look next season.

Here is the potential projected Illinois basketball lineup with recent transfer portal additions

No. 1 Guard

Starter: Terrence Shannon Jr

With nothing official with Terrence Shannon Jr. staying or declaring for the NBA Draft, I have to include him in this lineup projection. He is on the roster as of right now, so heading into next season, I think there is a strong chance that Shannon is our starting point guard.

I know that Shannon is more of a No. 2 guard, but with the way the Illinois roster is constructed, he would be best suited to bring the ball up the court. That is also how the Illini ended last season with Shannon as our point guard. He finished the 2022-23 campaign averaging 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest. I expect similar numbers out of him next season as well.

Backup: Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

I like Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn slotted in as the backup at the No. 1 guard spot. While Gibbs-Lawhorn is more of a No. 2 guard, he can do everything on the court including distributing the ball. He is a playmaker in its truest form.

Gibbs-Lawhorn is coming in from the class of 2023 as a four-star recruit. He was once committed to Purdue, but Illinois was able to pluck him away from West Lafayette. I expect Gibbs-Lawhorn to get 10-15 minutes per game at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots this upcoming season.

Backup: Niccolo Moretti

Most people are going to be elevating Niccolo Moretti into a more prominent role on the Illinois basketball team, but for me, I am going to slot him in as the second backup at the No. 1 spot.

Illinois was able to land Moretti this past season for the class of 2023, and he enrolled early into the program. But there wasn’t a lot of recruiting attention around this kid. Most of his offers were from mid-major programs. That makes me a little nervous. I think it would be best to ease him into playing time.

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