Thoughts on Illinois’ Offense: The Rim Pressure Problem
A quick breakdown of why Illinois’ offense feels stagnant.
Illinois basketball has a problem. It's not necessarily their spacing, though that has its own issues, but rather what they do with it. Good spacing should create driving lanes, force defenses to collapse, and generate open shots. But for Illinois, all that perimeter space isn't leading to anything. There's no rim pressure, no easy buckets, no fouls drawn, no stress on the defense. Instead, there’s a lot of dribbling, passing along the perimeter, and chucking up jump shots.
Spacing only matters if a team weaponizes it, and Illinois isn't doing that. While they typically maintain good perimeter spacing, the offense stalls because nobody attacks the rim. The result is a lifeless offense with predictable sets, minimal cutting, and too many possessions ending in tough jumpers.
Early in the season, Tre White was one of the few players who would consistently attack space off ball. He cut with purpose, filling open gaps when his defender's back was turned, crashing in for offensive rebounds, and making himself available for drop-off passes near the rim. Though not a primary scorer, he at least applied rim pressure. As his minutes have dwindled, Illinois' offense has become increasingly perimeter-reliant, with too few players attacking the paint.
Ben Humrichous has been one of the biggest culprits in Illinois' lack of rim pressure. He sets plenty of screens but predictably pops out to the perimeter every time. Screen, pop. Screen, pop. Over and over. Even if pick-and-pop is his strength, he needs to mix in some rolls to keep defenses honest. Even if he’s not looking to score or doesn’t think he can attack the rim. Just roll anyway, catch the defense slipping, make them collapse, and pass out to an open shooter.
Tomislav Ivisic is slightly better at rolling occasionally, but his style is more finesse than power. He's not a hard roller who forces defenders to collapse. Like Nikola Vučević, he's comfortable popping out or catching in the short roll but won't bully his way to the rim and draw fouls. Ivisic is a good passer and can make the right reads. I’m surprised they haven’t gone to him more running the offense as a stationary big on the elbow with off ball actions and handoffs.
Illinois' biggest hope for rim pressure was Kasparas Jakucionis. He was meant to break down the defense, handle ball screens, and dictate offense. The problem? Teams have figured out how to neutralize him by trapping ball screens, and he hasn't adjusted. Instead of quickly passing out of the trap, he retreats, dribbles backward, and resets. By the time he looks to attack again, the defense is set. He's not creating advantages, and Illinois wastes these possessions.
There are clear counters to this strategy. Jakucionis could step back quickly and lob the ball over the trap to a rolling big at the free-throw line. If he struggles with that pass, they could set the screen higher so he has more space to get the pass off. Illinois could also position another perimeter player nearby as a release valve. That secondary ball-handler could then swing the ball to the roller, bypassing the trap and creating a 4-on-3 advantage. But none of this is happening. Instead, Illinois lets defenses dictate the game while Jakucionis struggles to beat the trap or hard hedge. Which is annoying because he is good enough where opponents have to trap. That’s an advantage. Defenders are putting two on the ball. This is a positive thing, but Jakucionis hasn’t been good enough creating out of it and again it typically results in a waste of the advantage.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn is one of the few players who actually pressures the rim. A freak athlete at just 6'0", he's aggressive, plays hard, and consistently gets into the paint. He can shoot, handle the ball, and brings an unwavering confidence that Illinois desperately needs. He should play more minutes.
Will Riley has grown as a scorer. He shows flashes of self-creation, especially with his spin move, but he can't consistently pressure the defense. But the good news he is improving and likely will win Illinois a big ten tournament or ncaa tournament game on his own. I’m just surprised Illinois hasn’t tried to weapons his shooting by running him off ball screens to see if he can create space off ball for a catch and shoot shot. Again, you have Tomislav Ivisic with the ball stationary on the perimeter and Illinois has so many weapons they could be running off ball actions and creating chaos with Ivisic making the right reads.
Meanwhile, Kylan Boswell, once a promising key piece, has regressed into primarily a defensive role player who can handle the ball and shoot the late free throws. But I don’t trust his shooting or rim attacks.
Jake Davis has been solid. He’s rough defensively but he probably makes less NIL than Luke Goode while providing Goode’s shooting and rebounding,
The core problem with Illinois' offense is its predictability. The pick-and-pop actions never vary. There's no movement or cutting. They space the floor but fail to use that spacing effectively. Without anyone forcing the defense to collapse, there are no open kick-outs, forced rotations, or easy looks.
Last year's Illinois team succeeded because they had players who created advantages. Terrence Shannon Jr. drove relentlessly and forced defensive help. Marcus Domask controlled games as an elite post-up player with patience and strength. Coleman Hawkins connected everything with smart passes and created flow. Most of the half court offense was Marcus Domask getting a switch, backing down into a dangerous area, and looking to pass, if no options then he would try to score. By being in the paint, all defenders had their back to the perimeter. Illinois players could cut into space or move along the perimeter for an open three with the defense so focused on Domask. They had a successful identity. This year's team lacks one.
The current Illinois squad is young and talented, but their stars aren't ready. Jakucionis can't handle traps, Riley is learning to create, and Ivisic hasn't become a dominant interior presence. They might figure it out by March—or they might not. Right now, something's clearly missing. There’s not enough versatility. And while the Illinois stars aren’t as good this year as last year, the thought was the depth would be better to compensate.
Illinois must adjust. They need more structured offensive flow that threatens the defense, more off-ball cutting, harder rolls to the rim, and consistent pressure on defenders. Kasparas Jakucionis also needs to find an effective way to attack the trap or hard hedge out of the ball screen. Until then, they'll face the same problems. A perimeter-heavy offense without rim pressure won't succeed, not in the Big Ten, not in March, and certainly not against teams that know how to neutralize their strengths.
The Morez Johnson Jr injury doesn’t help.
And don’t even get me started on the teams defense…
That being said, in big ten play Illinois ranks 5th out of 18 big teams in point differential, offensive efficiency, and defensive efficiency. So it’s not like this team is horrible. But they don’t look like a final four team either.