Illinois Basketball 2026-27 Scouting Report: Lucas Morillo

In the days leading up to Illinois' Nov. 2 regular-season opener at Champaign's State Farm Center, Illinois on SI will share a scouting report for each Illini player on the team's official 2026-27 roster. Today, in the 11th of 15, we shine a light on wing Lucas Morillo. Find our scouting reports of other Illinois players as they're added below.

Lucas Morillo | guard | freshman | No. 23

Hometown: Mount Vernon, New York

High school: The Newman School

Height: 6-foot-7

Weight: 210 pounds

Scouting Lucas Morillo

Illinois freshman Lucas Morillo is an interesting scout. First and foremost, he’s versatile. Morillo can do a bit of everything. He can shoot, pass and attack the rim. He’s a plus rebounder. He can wear many hats – but which one fits him best?

That’s the only issue: At least for now, Morillo seems to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. At the high-major level – and specifically on this Illinois team – a player almost needs to have an ability that forces coach Brad Underwood to put him on the floor.

Morillo’s premier offensive skill is probably attacking the rack. Trouble is, his driving ability is predicated on his blend of craftiness, a solid first step and a strong frame. In the Big Ten, those physical traits can carry a player only so far.

As a prospect, Morillo wasn’t categorized as a shooter. In fact, long-distance shooting was essentially considered his lone weakness on the offensive end. But he has seemingly sharpened his marksmanship over the past few months, based on what we've seen from practice highlights and Illinois’ exhibition games.

Lucas Morillo's experience

Morillo finished his high school career at The Newman School in Boston, where he averaged 17.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game as a senior. He shot 56 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep.

In the Illini’s most recent exhibition outing – a falter against Baylor – Morillo hit two threes and had one steal in nine minutes.

Lucas Morillo highlights

🟠 Newcomer First Look 🔵
Lucas Morillo
No. 23
Mount Vernon, N.Y. pic.twitter.com/VT0XEq3kxx
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) August 20, 2026

What they're saying about Lucas Morillo

Underwood on Morillo, back in November 2025:

"He’s much thicker. We like those big, strong physical guards. I think the thing that stood out with me was his playmaking and his ability to rebound. He elevates all of his teammates.

"He’s very comfortable playing with elite scorers. He’s very comfortable when he can score. He’s got maybe a little more Marcus Domask type to him than a Will Riley, because of his frame. But just a guy who elevates everybody around him."

What we expect from Lucas Morillo in 2026-27

Minutes are going to be hard to come by for most of Illinois’ freshmen. Underwood has implied he’ll dip deeper into his bench this season, but it remains to be seen if he’ll actually leave the kiddy pool, let alone leap head-first off the diving board.

Morillo is stuck behind veterans Andrej Stojakovic and Jake Davis on the wing. That won’t change. But if he can prove himself as a capable secondary ball-handler, Morillo could carve out a small role in the backcourt in his first year in Champaign.

Given his limited minutes thus far – and in exhibition games, at that – Morillo seems to be relegated to a spot-up role for the most part. So he needs to either expand that role or turn into a defensive stalwart, or he’ll be on the outside of the rotation looking in as a freshman. On this team, though, that's hardly anything to be ashamed of.

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