Roster Outlook for 2020-21 Season of Louisville Men's Basketball
The global COVID-19 pandemic might have cut short the 2019-20 college basketball season and robbed fans of March Madness, but it's never too early to take a glimpse into the future to next season's Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team.
Between players moving on to the next step in their respective careers, recruits donning the red & black for the first time, as well as potential transfer targets between now and opening tip-off, nothing is completely set in stone as to how Team 107 will look like when they lace 'em up for the first time.
Departures and Arrivals
Like in the offseason before, seven players will not be returning to the floor of the KFC Yum! Center. Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble, Keith Oddo, Steven Enoch, Dwayne Sutton and Ryan McMahon's college eligibility has officially run its course, with the NCAA unlikely to grant them an additional year because of the cancellations due to the coronavirus.
Also departing the program are Jordan Nwora and Darius Perry. After being honored on Senior Day, it was presumed that this was an unofficial announcement from Nwora that he would be heading for the NBA Draft following the end of the season. After logging just 19.7 minutes per game and he usage dwindling as the season progressed, Perry decided to enter the transfer portal.
While Louisville is surely losing its fair share of talent, the Cardinals are supplanting it with players that are equally as skilled. Chris Mack's first full recruiting cycle as the head coach of the Cardinals has netted him three high quality recruits and a Top 25 class.
Shooting guard Jay Scrubb joins the fold as the top 2020 JUCO transfer in the country, JJ Traynor is the cream of the crop in the state of KY as the power forward from Bardstown HS is the top ranked player in the Commonwealth, and small forward D'Andre Lawrence is a Top 100 player according to 24/7 Sports. Plus it's entirely possible that Mack could bring in yet another transfer, as he has been in contact with Quinnipiac grad transfer Kevin Marfo and former Virginia Tech wing Landers Nolley.
Projected Depth Chart
Given all that we know now about the current state of Louisville's roster, here's an early look into what the depth chart next year could look like:
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
|---|---|---|---|---|
David Johnson | Jay Scrubb | Samuell Williamson | Jae'Lyn Withers | Malik Williams |
Josh Nickelberry | D'Andre Davis | Quinn Slazinski | Aidan Igiehon | |
JJ Traynor |
Point guard is the easiest to project, because it is the most shallow of all the five positions. As last season progressed, David Johnson flourished running the point. His biggest point and assist totals came in the latter half of the season, and he was instrumental in the 79-73 victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke. However, he is the only true point guard on the roster. While it's possible that Josh Nickelberry could take reps here, his game is more suited as an off ball guard.
Speaking of Nickelberry, following Darius Perry's transfer from Louisville, he and Jay Scrubb are now the only non walk-on off shooting guards on the roster. Making matters worse, it's entirely possible that the JUCO transfer could forgo his time at Louisville altogether and declare for the NBA Draft. Nickelberry had limited reps this season as he only averaged 3.7 minutes in 15 appearances, but with much of the backcourt departing he is sure to have an elevated role in 2019-20. For the sake of maintaining a complete roster, retaining Scrubb could be the biggest storyline of the offseason for Louisville.
It's hard to find meaningful minutes when playing behind an All-American. But now with Jordan Nwora (seemingly) heading for the NBA Draft, now is Samuell Williamson's time to shine. The McDonald's All-American didn't have quite the year he hoped he would as he averaged just 4.4 points a game, having an entire year to adjust to the college game will do him some good heading into next season. Combined with the physicality and scoring ability of D'Andre Davis, and the Cards should get some solid play from the wing next season.
The four spot is where Louisville will certainly have the most depth this year. While you can argue that Quinn Slazinski could compete for the starting gig, Mack seems to favor the instincts and athleticism of Withers. With Withers redshirting this past year to adjust to the college game and get his body right, he could be primed for a breakout redshirt freshman year.
While not as lacking in depth as the two spot, the center position could very well be a position of concern in 2020-21. Malik Williams is unquestionably the heart and soul of the team on the defensive side, and will be an anchor on the block next season. Losing Enoch hurts, because it was clear Aidan Igiehon was not ready for the college game despite being a the prototypical athletic specimen. If Igiehon can pick up his game or if Mack can land another grad transfer, play in the paint should not be as big of a concern as it currently is.
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