Illinois Basketball’s Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn Will Surprise Everyone

Illinois Basketball’s Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn Will Surprise Everyone

Illinois Basketball has had an active offseason in the transfer portal. They have made three significant adds to the roster in their quest to become an older and experienced team. Marcus Domask, Quincy Guerrier, and Justin Harmon are all immediate impact players that will hopefully bring Illinois Basketball to a far more consistent place. Recently, Illinois has been after the top transfer point guard in the country, and fans have become restless. Top teams in the country are after the top players in the portal, and Illinois is battling with some tough programs.

Despite the pursuit of RayJ Dennis, many seem to understate the prep class that Brad Underwood is bringing in. Amani Hansberry is a sure-fire top 75 prospect who has a ready made body and skillset. Most importantly, after all the qualms about guard play, Illinois is also bringing in Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn. Gibbs-Lawhorn spent time with Overtime Elite recently and dominated.

A Bucket Getter

Gibbs-Lawhorn is a 6 foot 1 combo guard that is more wired to score than facilitate offense. He’s an above average athlete, and has solid length to effectively defend. I like to think of Wisconsin’s Chucky Hepburn as a comparison given the similar size and offensive skillset. Over the 2022 summer, he averaged 16.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on the EYBL circuit.

During this past current high school season, Dra has left his prep program to join Overtime Elite. Though it is odd that he has transferred schools so many times, he put up strong numbers. In 10 games, DGL put up 20.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists on 39 percent three point shooting. Though it is kind of clear that Overtime Elite is not playing the robust defense that is played in the Big Ten, Gibbs-Lawhorn has proven that he can score at a premier rate.

How he fits on Illinois Basketball’s Roster:

Gibbs-Lawhorn may have a difficult time finding the floor immediately due to the veteran presences on this roster. I do think that Gibbs-Lawhorn will likely have a role similar to RJ Melendez and Luke Goode their freshman years. If Gibbs-Lawhorn can show that he is willing to hustle and make the energy plays that Melendez did, he can have a similar role. I think that Gibbs-Lawhorn can play a similar game to Justin Harmon based off the film in that they are bouncy combo guards who can get to the basket at an efficient clip.

Ultimately, lets hope that Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn is willing to have a learning year. He transferred schools multiple times during high school. In the age of the transfer portal, it is common to see players on the bench leave after a year of minimal play. Gibbs-Lawhorn has tools to be a successful college player and hopefully that is shown at Illinois.