Illinois Basketball: 5 Illini players poised to increase their scoring average

I believe Illinois is going to lean heavily on the veterans on the team. Brad Underwood won the offseason by adding so many experienced players.

Quincy Guerrier was one of the great transfer additions for the Illini. He spent two years at Syracuse and then two years at Oregon before coming to Champaign. In his last season with the Ducks, Guerrier averaged 9.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 25.8 minutes per game.

Those are some pretty solid numbers for not being the main focal point of the Oregon team. Now that Guerrier is with the Illini, I think he can continue improving his game and scoring more points.

Overall, Guerrier looked pretty solid against Kansas on Sunday. He played 26 minutes for the Orange and Blue and put up 13 points. These 13 points came from 2-of-4 from the field, 1-of-1 from three-point range, and 8-of-10 from the free throw line.

Having a player like Guerrier be able to score efficiently from all three areas is huge for the Illini. It is also nice seeing someone who can make free throws.

Underwood is likely to use Guerrier for around 25 minutes in each game this season. He is going to be more of a paint presence with so many guards needing space on the perimeter. I think this will enable Guerrier to get to the free throw line for some easy points.

I fully expect Guerrier to take the 9.0 points per game he averaged last year and bump that up to around 10.2 points per game in 2023-24. Guerrier is a solid player who can help Illinois tremendously in the paint.