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Illinois Basketball: Projected roster rotation and minutes for 2024-25 season

The Fighting Illini will have no shortage of talent entering year eight of the Brad Underwood era.

By Cole Amundson

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Illinois v Connecticut / Michael Reaves/GettyImages
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Shooting Guard

Projected starter: Kylan Boswell (24 mpg)

Kylan Boswell, a Champaign, Illinois native, returns home after spending two seasons at Arizona. After playing a solid reserve role during his freshman season, the former five-star recruit entered the starting lineup with lofty expectations, averaging 9.6 PPG 2.3 RPG and 3.6 APG. Despite the solid stat line, it was a season marred by inconsistencies, especially toward the end of the year. 

With a fresh start at Illinois, Boswell will look to be more consistent with a key role in the Fighting Illini’s backcourt. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he is a stronger-bodied, physical guard capable of playing on or off the ball as a strong three-point shooter. As noted before, because of his versatility as a guard, it's entirely plausible that Boswell can slot in at the PG spot and Jakucionis plays off the ball. At times, this will undoubtedly be the case. However, despite Boswell’s true PG instincts, he is better suited off the ball given how Underwood has constructed this roster -- which can help Boswell fix his inconsistencies.

Bench: Ty Rodgers (16 mpg)

Because of how crowded Illinois 2024-25 roster situation and minutes allocation is, G/F Ty Rodgers is a prime candidate to take a step away from the starting lineup and play a crucial 6th-man role for the Fighting Illini. At 6-foot-6, Rodgers was Illinois’ atypical PG last season, averaging 6.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG and two APG in 22.7 minutes per game. Despite not being projected in the starting lineup this season, it by no means diminishes the impact Rodgers will have on the 2024-25 Fighting Illini roster. 

With 16 MPG at the SG spot and six MPG at the PG spot, Rodgers will meet last year’s averages -- a total of 22 MPG. Despite not being a threat from behind the arc like a typical shooting guard, Illinois has plenty of other options with the ability to hit from deep. Rodgers’ rebounding prowess and ability to attack the paint and drive downhill makes him among the more unique backcourt players in the Big Ten, speaking volumes about his versatility. 

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