Which Illinois Basketball Offseason Addition Will be Most Impactful?

Who’s The Best Transfer Portal Pickup For Illinois Basketball?

After landing FC Barcelona wing Kasparas Jakucionis, Brad Underwood seemingly has finalized his off-season hunt for players who can fill needs within the Illinois Basketball program. The Illinois staff was able to entice some high-profile talent to Champaign to compete for heavy minutes. Those additions include Carey Booth, Ben Humrichous, Kylan Boswell, Tre White, Jake Davis, Tomislav Ivisic, and Kasparus Jakucionis.

Of course, this is a matter of opinion. However, let’s speculate on which offseason addition will be most impactful.

The hometown hero.

Each offseason addition will add a different flavor to the roster. Jakucionis brings an incredibly versatile skillset. Ben Humrichous could lead the team in scoring and wow the conference with his shooting ability. However, the player who will stir the drink of Illinois basketball is Kylan Boswell. A native of Champaign, Kylan makes his way back to the 217 in hopes of becoming a hometown hero. Boswell will bring a high level of pride and fierce work ethic to the Illini while playing in front of family and friends at Illinois.

Illinois made a thrilling run to the Elite 8, despite missing a major piece to their offense. A lead point guard shortage forced Illinois to rely dominantly on booty ball offense. Which, worked for Illinois on most occasions as they went to the Elite 8. However, when running into the land of the giants vs Purdue and UConn, Illinois suffered the consequences of a rather basic offensive plan. The addition of a lead point guard like Kylan gives Illinois the opportunity for more scheme additions and sets within Underwood’s offense. The point guard was priority #1 going into the offseason for Brad, and the addition of Kylan filled the biggest need for the Illini.

Boswell averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in 2023. In addition, Boswell shot 37.9% from deep as a sophomore at Arizona.

Kylan’s Film

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