5 big observations from the Illinois basketball win over Eastern Illinois

5. Morez Johnson Jr. commands the paint

There are a lot of flashy names on the Illinois basketball roster this season. Will Riley and Kasparas Jakucionis are both projected NBA Draft picks. Kylan Boswell is a big-time guard from Arizona. Tomislav Ivisic is a massive human.

One player who is not getting enough attention is Morez Johnson Jr. He has been committed to Illinois since 2021, and he stayed with us throughout. Johnson was a double-double machine in high school, and he has now started to fall into the same patterns at the college level.

Johnson looked good against Ole Miss, and he had another good game against Eastern Illinois. He isn’t an offensive juggernaut, but Johnson commands the paint and is a monster to be dealt with for opposing teams.

In just 16 minutes of action, Johnson finished the win over the Panthers with three points, eight rebounds, and six blocks.

I enjoy watching Johnson play. He is 6-foot-9 but plays like a 7-foot-2 big man. When a ball comes off the rim, he is going to snag it. He has a great wing span too, which helps with blocking shots.

Johnson’s athletic ability is something that goes under the radar too. He runs the court well and can go up and defend a player. Johnson will continue to develop over the next couple of seasons, and it is going to be crazy how good he gets by the time he leaves Champaign. This kid is special.