The Illini are hoping the junior can take it to another level on both ends of the floor with their starting PG out.
When I first heard about Kylan Boswell’s hand injury, my mind immediately shifted to Mihailo
Petrovic. Which makes a bit of sense, considering he is the backup point guard to Boswell, and the fact that he has not cracked the rotation the way many of us thought he would before the season started.
But, as time carried on, I quickly realized it wouldn’t be Mihailo Petrovic needing to step up and immediately take a larger role. This job belongs to Andrej Stojakovic, and it needs to happen on both ends of the floor. Especially with a few tough road games coming up within the next few weeks.
What’s needed offensively?
We all know by now just how elite Andrej Stojakovic is offensively. He’s so good at getting to the rim and finishing with either hand. His athleticism and scoring ability around the rim has really surprised me, especially with the type of player his dad Peja Stojakovic was when he played.
I did not watch much film on Andrej over the summer, so I expected him to be more of a shooter just like his dad. He is much more than that and if anything, shooting from deep is one of his weaknesses. We may need some 20+ point nights from Andrej over these next couple of games, and he showed last night vs Maryland that he is more than capable.
What’s needed defensively?
While it is true Andrej Stojakovic will need to carry a bigger load offensively with Kylan Boswell out, there is an even bigger role he needs to fill defensively in Boswell’s absence. He will have to guard the opposition’s best player more times than not, something we have watched Kylan Boswell do almost every game over the last 2 seasons.
The Illini will really need Andrej to step up his game defensively. He certainly has the athleticism and length to be a pest on that end of the floor, but it will be important that he stays extremely consistent on that side of the ball especially over the next month or so.
The injury news was a big blow to this team, and couldn’t have come at a much worse time considering the Illini’s upcoming opponents. However, I have trust in the players on this roster to help fill the void Kylan Boswell’s injury will leave on this team. When you have a team this deep, you can afford to go through some injuries more than other teams may.
This Illini team definitely has plenty of talent, but time will tell if they can rise to the occasion and keep this team at the top of the Big Ten standings during Kylan Boswell’s absence
