Jake Davis: The leader of Illinois Basketball

Jake Davis is the leader of the Illinois basketball team.

After winning their sixth straight game of the season, the Illini seem to be clicking on all cylinders. Team chemistry is starting to solidify, and everyone seems to have a solidified role. Illinois looks ready to take on the tough parts of its Big Ten schedule and has looked impressive in different scenarios. A key nugget during the broadcast and post-game video last night, however, revealed an interesting tidbit. A tidbit on who Brad Underwood thinks is the leader of this up-and-coming team.

Not Kylan Boswell, the senior point guard and heart of the team’s defense. Not Keaton Wagler, the freshman phenom who is shooting up NBA Draft boards.

Jake Davis, a junior forward known for his corner-three-point shots.

More than just a three-point shooter

Jake Davis is a key part of the Illini offense despite just averaging 4.5 points per game. He obviously provides excellent spacing to create driving lanes for Keaton Wagler, Andrej Stojakovic, and Kylan Boswell. However, he always seems to move the ball to the right spot and the ball never sticks. For example, a key play of the win over Northwestern was Davis knowing that Tomislav Ivisic had a small guard guarding in him while Northwestern was making a run. Davis quickly threw the ball into Ivisic’s hand, which led to an and-one to put the Illini back up eight points.

Davis serves as the ultimate glue guy on the court and seems to really be establishing himself as a leader of this team. In fact, Brad Underwood shared with BTN that Jake Davis is the leader of this team. Through the last seven games, Davis has played 17.8 minutes per game. I fully expect that trend to continue as Illinois heads into the depths of its Big Ten Schedule.

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! The Armchair team is proud to partner with Hamilton Walker’s Seafood and Spirits. Reserve your table HERE. Enter our home game giveaways on our social media pages to win a $50 gift card.

We are also proud to partner with the Campus Ink Illini NIL Store! Use the code: ARMCHAIRILLINI for 15% off your purchase. Please subscribe to the Armchair Illini Podcast on YouTube here.

Above all, for feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Finally, subscribe to our newsletter here for more Illinois news! Go Illini!