It is a new day which means the transfer portal has changed the Illinois basketball team in some form.
Late in the night on Tuesday, the Illini received word via social media that big man Carey Booth was transferring into the program. This was a big commitment. Illinois needed more frontcourt help, and Booth is a perfect option.
With the addition of Booth comes a roster adjustment. I love what I am seeing in the frontcourt.
Here is the projected Illinois basketball lineup with the transfer portal addition of Carey Booth
No. 1 Guard
Starter: Kylan Boswell (JR)
The addition of Carey Booth doesn’t do anything to the backcourt. If the season starts right now, the Illinois basketball team has a dangerous backcourt led by Kylan Boswell.
Boswell entered the transfer portal and picked Illinois as his landing spot after two seasons with Arizona. In 2023-24, he averaged a solid 9.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. Illinois hasn’t had a quality point guard like Boswell in quite some time. He has a nice big body that can bang around in the lane, but he is also a good three-point shooter, knocking down 37.9% last season. He should be our starter at the No. 1 spot.
Backup: Niccolo Moretti (SO)
I believe Illinois has one of the best backup point guards in the Big Ten entering next season. Niccolo Moretti has shown he has talent in the little we saw of him last season.
Moretti only averaged 1.5 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game, but he was electric on the court. He has true point guard ability, and that is what I want in the backup. Moretti can come into the game and lead the second unit. He should be our primary backup at the No. 1 spot.
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