Louisville Men's Basketball 2023-24 Roster Outlook 5.0

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The college basketball season is roughly three months away, but surprisingly, there have still been some moving parts as it pertains to the Louisville men's basketball program's 2023-24 roster.

Between players moving on to the next step in their respective careers and newcomers donning the red and black for the first time, the Cardinals will look a lot different in year two of the Kenny Payne era.

Departures and Arrivals

In a shocking move that potentially changes the outlook of the season, Louisville's most talented and high-upside newcomer is no longer going to suit up for the Cardinals. Guard/forward Trentyn Flowers, a five-star prospect who had signed and been on campus since late May, announced that he instead will be taking his talents overseas to the NBL in Australia this upcoming season and left the program.

On the other hand, Louisville did get some good news in recent days. Guard Ty-Laur Johnson, the lone newcomer who had yet to make it to campus, officially enrolled with the university ahead of the first day of classes. However, whether or not he will be eligible to play this season in some capacity remains to be seen.

With these developments, Louisville will now be welcoming eight new players for the upcoming season. The Cardinals' four high school signees - Johnson, Dennis Evans, Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr. - are all at least a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite. JUCO transfer guard Koron Davis is also in the fold, and the five players comprise of the No. 17 recruiting class in the nation.

The other three newcomers are Division I transfers. Former Illinois guard Skyy Clark, former Miami forward Danilo Jovanovich and former USC guard/forward Tre White are also joining Louisville next season, and together, they make up the No. 27 transfer portal class in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Louisville's eight additions make up for the seven transfer portal defections they have seen since the end of their 2022-23 campaign. Kamari Lands, Devin Ree and Fabio Basili all entered just three days after the season ended; then Sydney Curry, Roosevelt Wheeler, Jae'Lyn Withers and El Ellis did so not long after.

Projected Depth Chart

Given all that we know now about the current state of Louisville's roster, below is an early look into what the depth chart next year could look like:

Depth Chart by Position

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
Skyy Clark	Tre White	Mike James	Brandon Huntley-Hatfield	Emmanuel Okorafor
Ty-Laur Johnson	Koron Davis	Kaleb Glenn	J.J. Traynor	Dennis Evans
Curtis Williams Jr.
Danilo Jovanovich

Depth Chart by Probable Rotation

Starters:	Skyy Clark	Tre White	Mike James	J.J. Traynor	Brandon Huntley-Hatfield
Backups	Ty-Laur Johnson	Koron Davis	Kaleb Glenn	Emmanuel Okorafor	Dennis Evans
Third String	Curtis Williams Jr.	Danilo Jovanovich

Losing El Ellis undoubtedly hurts, but landing both Skyy Clark and Ty-Laur Johnson is a good consolation prize, not to mention that there are now two viable options at the point instead of one. Both do seem to have slight issues with turnovers, but each player has floor general traits to them that Louisville desperately needed. That being said, potentially losing Johnson for any amount of time this season is not a good development considering what Louisville had to go through last year with only one true point guard. Over at the two guard, there is a fair amount of inexperience, but also a lot of potential. Tre White will have to improve his three-point shooting, but he has incredible upside thanks to his length, athleticism and scoring ability. Curtis Williams Jr. has taken a lot of backcourt reps in high school, and Koron Davis stuffed the stat sheet at the JUCO level, but both are heading into their first reps at the D1 level.

As it currently stands, the wing looks like it'll be Louisville's biggest strength heading into next season due in part to both returning production and roster versatility. Mike James was able to rebound fantastically from his Achilles injury to average double figures, J.J. Traynor took a large step forward, and there is a lot of promise in the freshmen duo of Williams and Kaleb Glenn. Not to mention that White has the versatility to play two through four, and Danilo Jovanovich does give Louisville a potential shooting option if he can stay healthy and actually see consistent court time. However, James and Traynor will have to take significant strides over the offseason when it comes to their defense and rebounding, and time will tell how the newcomers on the wing develop. That being said, you have to like Louisville's upside here given that most of this group isn't pigeon-holed to just being a small forward, and that allows for some creative lineups.

It will be interesting to see to see how the front court develops heading into year two of the Payne era, considering it was regarded as Louisville's strength this time last year. This is especially true at the four spot. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was extremely inconsistent even before his injury, and while Traynor was one of the very few bright spots this past season, his lanky frame sometimes limits what he can do down in the paint. Center will be even more interesting considering both players here - Emmanuel Okorafor and Dennis Evans - are both still raw prospects. Time will tell how much the offseason will benefit Okorafor after joining midseason, and Evans - a 7-foot-1 defensive specialist - needs to continue adding weight and improving his play on offense.

(Photo of Mike James: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

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