Breaking Down Louisville's Biggest Remaining Offseason Needs
(Photo of Louisville Players: Sam Upshaw Jr. - Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It has been an incredibly active offseason for the Louisville men's basketball program when it comes to the movement of scholarship players. Between the players departing the program and coming in, the Cardinals could have a completely different identity when they tip off the 2021-22 season.
Since their final game against Duke in the ACC Tournament back on Mar. 10, six players have moved on from the program. Aidan Igiehon, Josh Nickelberry and Quinn Slazinski transferred; David Johnson and Carlik Jones declared for the NBA; and Charles Minlend is not taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility.
Fortunately, as of now, Louisville is welcoming six newcomers next year to make up for the losses. Michael James and Roosevelt Wheeler are signees from the high school ranks; El Ellis is coming from JUCO; and Matt Cross, Jarrod West and Noah Locke are transferring from Miami, Marshall and Florida, respectively.
But when you take into account the Malik Williams will not count against the scholarship limit next year, and that Louisville's scholarship reduction is no longer in play, and they will be back to a 13-man scholarship roster - meaning they have two more spots left on the roster.
Now the question begs, how should Louisville fill these final two spots? What type of players should they be reaching out to and recruiting? Head coach Chris Mack has already done a great job addressing their need for three-point shooting. Based on the current makeup of the Cardinals roster, here are the two types of players we think he should be pursuing next:
Backup True Off-Ball Guard
The backcourt has seen the most shakeup on the roster this offseason. Out are Carlik Jones, David Johnson and Josh Nickelberry, and in is the Jarrod West, Noah Locke and El Ellis - which should serve as the core of the backcourt. Additionally, you can also throw Dre Davis and Michael James into the mix.
You could make the argument that Louisville could pursue another primary ball handler, but this is why they are better served to go after a shooting/scoring guard or off-ball guard:
Whether he starts or is the backup, it's hard to imagine West playing at the two. While he can shoot it, you want to put him in a position where he can take advantage of his ability to be able to handle the ball and make good decisions with it.
With Ellis, he told ESPN Louisville's LSL that while he is a combo guard by trade, he will primarily be at the one. Even Locke, who was pigeonholed as exclusively a shooting guard at Florida, said that he wants to handle the ball at times too.
That leaves Davis and James. Davis will spend a lot of his time out on the wing in addition to playing some at the two, and James told journalist Jeff Greer that he was recruited by Louisville to play mostly at the two, as well as the three and sometimes the four.
Louisville has a few options at their disposal to insert at the two guard spot. However, most of them are versatile pieces who will see time at various spots on the floor. The Cardinals absolutely need another piece in the backcourt, and it seems they would be best suited going after a guard whose job will be to solely play at the two spot.
Backup Center
Arguably the biggest offseason storyline for Louisville has been when senior forward/center Malik Williams opted to return for a fifth year with the Cardinals. Williams missed the majority of the 2020-21 season due to another foot injury.
Due to Williams' absence throughout the majority of the year, Louisville did not get maximum efficiency out of the center position. Jae'Lyn Withers was forced to slide over to that spot out of his natural position of power forward, and while he was named to the All-ACC Freshman team, he still is better suited playing at the four.
Even if Williams plays next season with a completely clean bill of health, much like with the backcourt, talent drop-off is another concern. Unless Gabe Wiznitzer has an offseason like Withers had last year, you can't really count on him to play major minutes just yet. With Roosevelt Wheeler, you're not even sure what you're getting yet following his recovery from an Achilles injury.
The reason it's such a big concern is because someone is going to have to step up - whether it's Wiznitzer, Wheeler, or another potential big man. During the 2019-20 season, Williams averaged just 18.7 minutes per game - roughly half of what Jones averaged. Louisville can't afford to have play at the center position that doesn't live up to their standard for over twenty minutes per game.
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