Does Louisville basketball have the best frontcourt in the country?

With the return of Steven Enoch and Jordan Nwora and the addition of Aidan Igiehon, Louisville basketball may have the best frontcourt in the country in 2019-20.

On Tuesday, Louisville basketball forward/ center Steven Enoch decided to return for his redshirt senior season. That decision was followed up last evening by Jordan Nwora, the reigning ACC Most Improved Player of the Year, who waited until the 11th hour to announce he’d be returning to the Ville for his junior year – giving the Cards their leading scorer and rebounder from a year ago. But just how big of an impact does Enoch and Nwora’s return have for the Cards? Perhaps more than the average fan realizes.

To start, Enoch’s return adds depth and experience to the Cards’s frontcourt. If Enoch were to not improve or even regress in 2019-20, he would still be another big body anchoring the middle.

Additionally, Enoch adds to the fantastic outside shooting and free throw shooting for Louisville. Enoch creates a match-up nightmare for opponents by being multi-faceted. He can play with his back-to-the-basket and play “bully ball” or pop outside and use his soft touch to shoot over opponents on switches or caught sagging inside.

“The Enoch-ness Monster” also brings back hunger for success. Louisville will have young talent to pair with experienced, hungry veterans. Enoch knows that he is close to reaching the goal of ultimately being drafted in 2020, but he has a lot of improvements that he can make to his game. He needs to become more consistent against opposing bigs while being more active and demonstrating awareness on defense. If he returns with a goal in mind of becoming an NBA big man and having a professional career, he has the potential to become one of the best centers in the country.

But Enoch isn’t the only reason that Louisville could have one of the best frontcourts in the nation. The Cards also couple a talented incoming freshmen duo with Enoch and fellow veteran big Malik Williams.

Williams is a big with the propensity to take and make shots from the perimeter and use his wingspan to shoot over defenders in the midrange area. Like Enoch, Williams will bang inside, but he doesn’t have the physical tools to be an aggressor with some of the nation’s elite.

However, where Williams may lack, incoming freshman Aidan Igiehon brings an intensity that will be hard to match. The 6’10,” 235-pound monster from Ireland is a specimen down low and plays with the tenacity of a Montrezl Harrell or Draymond Green. His freakish athleticism and hatred from all rims could push the two veteran bigs for serious playing time.

What Chris Mack may opt to do is split the majority of minutes for Igiehon, Williams, and Enoch between the four and five spots. If the three can learn to play together, the Cards could have multiple scenarios where they have “twin towers” in the game.

Williams seems like the most natural fit at the four. Though he is the tallest and lankiest of the group, Williams’s game is more outside-to-in. He would create serious issues for opposing defenses who would have to choose between the lesser of the two evils of he and Enoch or Igiehon.

Louisville also returns embattled veteran Dwayne Sutton who, at times in 2018-19, was the best player on the court for the Cards. Though he is a multipositional player, Sutton was a solid contributor at the power forward spot because he is a terror for bigger players to defend. He can rebound in the trees and put the ball on the floor like a guard.

Though it will depend on match-ups and other factors, Sutton may end up sliding to the wing for his Senior season because the Cards have a 6’9″ wing in Jaelyn Withers who could compete for playing time right away.

Withers is a unique talent in that he has the length and size of a four, but he can put the ball on the floor, shoot, and pass like a guard. Though there is a ton of talent in front of him, Withers may force Mack’s hand and demand time with his play, which continues to trend upward.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the Cards will bring back their leading scorer and rebounder in dynamic wing Jordan Nwora. In the final hours that NBA draft entrants were allowed to remove their name and return to school, Nwora announced his return sparking an absolute social media frenzy around the Derby City.

https://twitter.com/JordanNwora/status/1133912598250962944

Nwora could very well play on the wing, but he played much of his sophomore season at the four, and that will likely be a trend we see again in 2019-2020 even with Samuell Williamson. Mack loves to run his offense through the four, so it would make sense for his best scorer and defensive rebounder to spend most of his time there.

With Nwora and Enoch back, the Cards’s depth should look something like this in 2019-20:

Power Forward

Jordan Nwora Junior 6-7 /225 or Dwayne Sutton RS Senior 6-5/ 220

Malik Williams Junior 6-11/ 245

Jaelyn Withers Freshman 6-9 / 215

Center

Steven Enoch RS Senior 6-10/ 260 or Malik Williams Junior 6-11/ 245

Aidan Igiehon Freshman 6-10/ 240

That talent and depth is going to be hard to beat.

Teams like Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Gonzaga, and Purdue all have legitimate arguments as well. All of these teams return experience and talent up front as well. Additionally, there are still plenty of pieces to fall into place on the graduate transfer market. Some of the best fours and fives in the country still haven’t chosen a place to call home in 2019-20.

Louisville will return 80% of it’s rebounding from a year ago, and with the team having a second full summer to grow in Chris Mack’s system, one that emphasizes rebounding and getting lose balls above all, expect the Cards to make an even bigger jump in the statistical category next season.

As things stand, however, it’s hard to argue that Louisville basketball doesn’t have one of the best groups of bigs in the nation.

With the addition of Nwora and Enoch, the Cards’s combination of talent, depth, and experience will be lethal in the ACC. We’d be willing to listen to other opinions or a more talented lineup, but when March and April roll around, our money would be on the Cards.