Projected Illinois basketball lineup after the commitment of Will Riley

No. 2 Guard

Starter: Kylan Boswell (JR)

There is a good chance that Kylan Boswell comes into the Illinois basketball program and only plays one season. He is an extremely talented guard with the ability to light up the scoreboard. That is why I have him starting at the No. 2 guard spot for the Illini.

Last season with Arizona, Boswell averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. He also took 4.8 three-point attempts per game and hit them at a clip of 37.9%. That is a number the NBA loves. While the talent level might not be there with Rodgers, I see the duo of Rodgers and Boswell in the backcourt being like Dee Brown and Deron Williams. Both share point guard duties. I think Boswell is going to be the star of the show, though.

Backup: Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (SO)

Rodgers was the first holdover from the Elite 8 squad last season, and the other holdover, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, should be right there behind Boswell. I have him as the primary backup at the No. 2 guard spot.

Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 2.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game as a freshman. He has a ton of spunk, so I think he is going to be a nice energy guy off the bench. I fully expect Gibbs-Lawhorn to see decent minutes in 2024-25. I am pegging him for around 12-15 minutes per game. There is a lot of talent, and I think he has the potential to make his teammates better. Look for Gibbs-Lawhorn to blossom with so much talent around him.