Illinois Basketball: Preview of Illini depth chart for 2020-21 season

Center

Starter – Kofi Cockburn (Soph.): 30 minutes

The second most important piece of the puzzle for the Illini this year will be the reigning Big Ten freshman of the year, Kofi Cockburn. There is no doubt that the 5-spot will be his this season and, after withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft, could end up on the first or second All-Big Ten team by years end.

Cockburn will be relied on in similar fashion to last season, to grab rebounds and score around the rim. The big man averaged 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and blocked 44 shots last season and is looking to improve on those stats this year.

A slight uptick in his minutes may be in order this year since he has one year of college basketball under his belt and knows what it is like to play nearly 30 minutes a game already. Obviously, if Cockburn struggles in games and is unable to stay out of foul trouble, then Illinois may struggle on the boards. Overall, Cockburn is sure to be a deciding factor in a lot of games this season.

Backup – Giorgi Bezhanishvili (Jr.): 20 minutes

After a stellar freshman season, Bezhanishvili took a step back in his sophomore campaign. In the coming campaign, I look for him to be the main backup to Cockburn and occasionally get the spot start at the 4-spot. Though he averaged just under 10 points per game, if he is able to add a couple more points per game like his freshman season, it could really make this lineup more dangerous.

A slight reduction in minutes is possible for Giorgi as a few other players are now available to play minutes at the 4 and 5 spot. Nonetheless, Bezhanishvili will still be a good part of the offense and will allow Cockburn and others to get a good break throughout the game.