4. Jake Davis is still bringing the hustle
There was a lot that stood out on Monday night. Illinois looked good on both ends of the court, and the new talent was fun to watch.
Throughout the game, there are always little things that stick out to me. One of those little things was Jake Davis and the hustle he brought to the court.
All players are out there giving it their all, but Davis was flying around the court and making the most of his time. He knows he isn’t going to start this season, but what Davis shows Brad Underwood and the coaching staff will go a long way in determining how many minutes he gets down the road.
Davis finished the Jackson State game with 13 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal. He didn’t have a single turnover, and he shot 45.5% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range.
All of those numbers are really good, but I think Davis’ hustle is what is even more impressive. Illinois had this game in hand early on. Davis could have stood around and just jacked up shots the entire night. Instead of doing that, Davis was still hustling for every ball he could.
There was one occasion that stuck out to me when Illinois shot the ball, and it went hard off the rim. We were up by quite a few at the time, but Davis still came from the wing and skyed for a rebound around the free throw line. This enabled Illinois to have another possession.
I know it isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but Davis' hustling even when the game is not on the line stands out to me. This kid is going to be a spark plug off the bench for the Illini. He is someone fans will rally around when we need something extra. Davis shows me he will give that effort night in and night out, and that is pretty awesome.