Champaign -- Red-shirt junior forward Kipper Nichols never pictured himself playing center when he arrived to Champaign in 2015.

Nichols was being teased by a former teammate a week ago when talking to him about his newfound minutes at the five.

“He was clowning me a little bit” Nichols joked. “But really, I never thought I’d be the big fella down low. But hey, here we are and anyway I can help my team win, I’m all for it.”

But when Nichols first started dawning the orange and blue, position-less basketball wasn’t as influential in today’s game. The days of players being labeled “point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center” are dwindling to now just “guards” and “forwards”.

Coaches are targeting players that can play and defend multiple positions, giving them flexibility in their lineups.

Nichols is going to be the product of Illinois head coach Brad Underwood’s position-less style of basketball.

“It’s small ball, man. That’s what the game is turning into,” Nichols said. “Our offense is truly position-less, you got to really learn every spot and ultimately it’s going to make me a better basketball player.”

Nichols added that he’s been digging back into his bag of post moves in preparation for his time at center this upcoming season.

This offseason, Nichols trimmed off roughly 10 pounds, which will allow him to guard multiple positions easier. Nichols said the weight-loss has allowed him to be a step quicker than he was a year ago, as well as jump off the ground easier.

The weight-loss has come in handy when it comes to conditioning and endurance, Nichols said, since he no longer has to carry that previous weight when getting up and down the court.

Underwood and Nichols both feel his slimmer frame will play a factor on the defensive end.

“We helped lean him up, (strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher) did, so I think he’ll be a more versatile player, on the defensive end especially,” Underwood said.

Nichols: “On the defensive end, it’s just being able to slide, being able to get down, be a little quicker on defense.”

When anyone the team talks about Nichols, it’s always about his potential and getting him to reach it. Underwood on numerous occasions last year mentioned how Nichols has no idea how high his ceiling is.

It’s because of this that Underwood pushed Nichols very hard last season, which caused rifts to develop between the two at times.

“Kipper has an unbelievable gift to put the ball in the basket and we saw that at times. And with Kipper, it was consistency and it was being that guy that can be responsible, accountable every single day,” Underwood said. “Yeah I challenged Kipper, and he handled that in such a professional way and he will reap the rewards for that. He’s a guy that’s a big part of everything we’re planning.”

It’s not just Underwood and his coaching staff that sees Nichols’ potential, but his teammates as well.

“He has a different mindset this year. He scores the ball every time. I’m always talking to him about it,” sophomore guard Trent Frazier said. “He tries to play outside on the perimeter sometimes, but he doesn’t know the gifts he has with his body, he’s so strong. He can get to the paint every time and when he does that, he scores every time and I think this year is his year. He’s going to have a breakout year.”

For Nichols, his goal for this upcoming season is simple, and it’s what his team is waiting for him to achieve.

“Just be the best I can be.”