5. Kylan Boswell is still trying to find his place
Not everything is going to come easy for the Illinois basketball team. Brad Underwood assembled one of the best teams in the country, but there will be some growing pains.
One of the emerging growing pains is where Kylan Boswell will fit into the big picture. He is a great player, but there are some adjustments that need to be made.
While with Arizona, Boswell was one of the top options. He was able to get his shots up and handle the ball. Boswell was looked at as the top point guard on the team, and he could command the offense. But that isn’t the case with the Illini.
Kasparas Jakucionis is the No. 1 on the Illinois basketball team. He is the player who handles the ball and has the vision at point guard. That power is kind of stripped away from Boswell.
On top of that, Boswell isn’t the go-to guy on the team. He used to be one of those with the Wildcats, but Illinois has so much talent. There aren’t any weaknesses. All Illinois starters can shoot the ball and have their role. It seems that Boswell is still trying to figure out his role.
Against SIU-Edwardsville, Boswell played 22 minutes and finished with two points, three assists, two rebounds, and one block. He was only 1-of-5 shooting from the field and missed all three three-point attempts.
I think time will help sort out Boswell’s role. There are a lot of top dogs on this team, and Boswell is one of them. He will find his place eventually.