There are plenty of obvious questions surrounding Illinois heading into the 2026-27 season. How will the new pieces fit together? Which players will take on larger offensive responsibilities? How does Brad Underwood balance a roster with considerable size, shooting and versatility? 

Somewhere in that conversation should be Jake Davis, a player who may not generate the most attention when discussing Illinois' ceiling, but whose role could be important to determining how well the pieces fit together.

Davis is coming off a junior season in which he became a much more reliable part of Illinois' rotation. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game, appearing in all 37 games and starting 22 of them. More importantly, he made a significant jump as a perimeter shooter. After shooting 34.4% from three in 2024-25, Davis improved to 40.6% last season, making 54 three-pointers. 

That development gives Illinois another legitimate floor-spacing option and, perhaps more importantly, gives Davis a skill that can keep him on the floor even when he isn't creating offense himself.

The biggest development for Davis last season may not have been the shooting percentage, but rather, it was the amount of trust Illinois placed in him.

Davis averaged only 9.5 minutes per game as a sophomore before nearly doubling that number last season. According to 247Sports, he played at least 12 minutes in 27 consecutive games from December through the end of the season. He also found himself in the starting lineup at different points as Illinois dealt with injuries, eventually starting the final 19 games of the season after Kylan Boswell went down.

That progression matters when trying to project his role this season. Davis has already shown that he can function within a rotation without needing a large number of touches, and Illinois knows what it can get from him. He isn't entering the season as an unknown who needs to prove that he belongs. He has already established himself as a player the coaching staff can turn to when it needs another perimeter body who understands his responsibilities.

That makes his role particularly interesting on a roster with more high-level offensive talent around him. Davis doesn't need to become a primary creator to become more important. In fact, his value may come from doing the opposite.

One of the more impressive numbers from Davis' season was his turnover rate. Illinois noted that he posted a 4.7% turnover rate, which ranked fourth nationally, while his 146.6 offensive rating was the highest in the country.

Those numbers help explain why Davis can be useful even when his scoring numbers aren't particularly high. He doesn't need possessions to make an impact. He can space the floor, move the ball, make the extra pass and take the open three without disrupting the offense around him.

That type of player becomes especially useful when surrounded by players who can create their own shots. If Illinois has multiple players capable of breaking down a defense, Davis can make those players better simply by occupying the right space and forcing defenders to respect him. A 40.6% three-point shooter can't simply be ignored on the perimeter, and that creates additional room for everyone else.

There is also a level of predictability that coaches value. Davis generally isn't going to dominate the ball or force difficult shots simply because he hasn't been involved in the offense. His game is relatively low-maintenance, and that makes him easy to place alongside different combinations of players.

The three-point improvement is what really gives Davis an opportunity to expand his role.

He attempted 3.6 threes per game last season and made at least one three in 28 of his 37 appearances. He also showed that he could produce against Big Ten competition, including games with eight points at Purdue, nine at UCLA, eight at Maryland and 13 at Nebraska. Those performances weren't necessarily huge scoring nights, but they demonstrated that Davis could provide offensive value against better competition without needing a major change in his usage.

The challenge now is maintaining that efficiency while defenses become increasingly aware of him.

A player shooting 40.6% from three gets treated differently than a player shooting 34%. Defenders have more incentive to close out aggressively, and that creates another opportunity for Davis. If he can consistently make the next play when a defender runs him off the three-point line, whether that's attacking the basket, making the right pass or getting into the next action, his offensive value becomes considerably greater.

He doesn't need to turn into a dynamic isolation scorer. He simply needs to make defenses pay for taking away his first option.

That is probably the biggest offensive question surrounding him entering his senior season.

The other side of Davis' projection is rebounding, particularly on the defensive end.

At 6-foot-6, Davis has the size to contribute more on the glass, but he averaged just 2.2 rebounds per game last season and 1.2 defensive rebounds. For a player who may spend significant time at the wing or forward spots, Illinois can reasonably ask him to improve in that area.

This isn't about expecting Davis to suddenly become one of the team's leading rebounders. Instead, it is about finishing defensive possessions. If Davis is on the floor because of his shooting and positional versatility, Illinois needs him to provide enough rebounding that opponents cannot consistently exploit him on the glass.

That could ultimately have a significant effect on his minutes. The more Davis can contribute defensively without becoming a matchup problem, the easier it becomes for Underwood to keep him on the floor for longer stretches.

His offensive role is already fairly clear. The question is whether his defense and rebounding can catch up to it.

This is where the conversation around Davis gets more interesting than simply asking whether he will start.

He certainly has a case to start. He has experience doing it, he can space the floor, and he has already demonstrated that he can play meaningful minutes within the Big Ten. At the same time, Illinois may have enough depth and versatility that Davis' best use could change depending on the matchup.

There may be games where Illinois wants his size and shooting on the floor from the opening tip. There may be others where bringing him off the bench gives the team a reliable perimeter shooter who can immediately stabilize a second unit. There could also be stretches where Davis plays alongside multiple primary creators and essentially functions as the connective piece between them.

That flexibility may be his biggest asset.

It would be easy to look at his 5.4 points per game and assume Davis is a relatively minor piece. But that ignores the way he affects the geometry of the floor and the fact that he can contribute without demanding the ball. If he is shooting around 40% from three, defending his position and improving on the defensive glass, there are going to be plenty of lineup combinations where his presence makes sense.

One of the mistakes that can be made when projecting a returning player is assuming improvement has to mean a significant increase in points per game.

For Davis, that may not be the best way to measure his senior season.

If he goes from 5.4 points to 8.0 points per game, that would obviously be useful. But if getting there means taking more difficult shots or requiring more possessions, it doesn't necessarily make him a better fit.

A more meaningful progression could be becoming a slightly more complete version of the player Illinois already has. Maintain the shooting efficiency, become more comfortable attacking closeouts, rebound at a higher level and continue to be one of the lowest-turnover players on the roster.

That player could be significantly more valuable without seeing a dramatic change in his statistical profile.

This is ultimately what makes Davis such an interesting player to project.

Illinois doesn't necessarily need him to become one of its stars. It needs him to be dependable enough that the coaching staff can put him on the floor in important moments and know exactly what it is getting.

His 2025-26 season provided some evidence that he can do that. He played nearly 20 minutes per game, started 22 games, shot 40.6% from three and became a trusted option as the season progressed. Illinois subsequently brought him back for his senior season alongside Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić.

Now the question is whether he can turn that foundation into a more clearly defined role.

The ceiling for Davis may not be about becoming another high-volume scorer. It could be about becoming one of the players who makes Illinois' high-level talent easier to play together. His shooting forces defenses to respect him, his low turnover rate allows him to keep the ball moving, and his size gives Illinois another option on the perimeter. If he can improve his defensive rebounding and become more effective attacking closeouts, there are even fewer reasons for him to come off the floor.

That is probably the most important thing to watch with Davis this season. His role doesn't have to become dramatically bigger. It simply needs to become more complete.

And if Illinois can get that version of Jake Davis, his impact could end up being considerably larger than his scoring average suggests.