Louisville basketball: Ranking the incoming players impact in 2019-20

5. Josh Nickelberry

Josh Nickelberry is an intriguing newcomer who could find his way onto the floor in a number of ways in 2019-20, but primarily will be counted upon to provide buckets off the bench.

Louisville brings back some depth at the guard spots, and it looks like there will be quite a bit of competition for playing time. Nickelberry could see some time though if he continues to round out his game the way he did in 2019.

The first commit under Chris Mack in the ’19 class, Nickelberry broke his way onto the scene by tearing it up from deep.

A shooting slump over last summer’s AAU circuit and playing at a new position, saw Nickelberry fall far and fast in the 247 recruiting rankings. After that though, the 6’4″ guard began to work on rounding out his game. His first step and explosiveness to the basket have improved and he is far from a jump shooter at this point.

This basketball season saw Nickelberry flourish and begin to grow his game into what Louisville basketball will need him to be.

If Nickelberry can provide energy, hustle, and defense off the bench he could be a huge asset. We know he is a streaky shooter who can get things going in a hurry, but he is also able to create on his own.

It will be a wait-and-see process at the guard spots for the Cards, but Nickelberry could very well see significant playing time if he does all of the little things right.