Louisville basketball: Preseason player power rankings

We start with Malik Williams, perhaps the team’s greatest unknown to this point due to his injury status. Williams figures to play a key role on this team, and if you were doing these rankings a month ago, you’d be crazy to not include the Cardinals big man in your top five. However, the 6’10” forward out of Indianapolis suffered a broken bone in his foot late in September, which will set him back 6-8 weeks.

Williams figures to be out through mid-November at the earliest, which would mean he will miss at least the first 2-3 games for the Cards. However, should he return ahead of schedule, he will have to contend with a red-hot Steven Enoch, who is proving that he is on a mission to earn further consideration in this year’s NBA draft.

When Williams returns, Louisville will have a versatile big who, when the aggressor, can be one of the Cards’ most important pieces. Williams has a virtually unguardable mid-range game, and couples this with solid ball-handling and a solid make percentage from behind the arc.

Williams also will bring a versatile defender to the rotation. He can hold his own against most bigs in the ACC, but is also agile enough to guard threes and fours. Williams’ return should instantly push him into the Cards’ top five.

Originally thought to be missing the entire non-conference schedule, Louisville basketball true freshman David Johnson appears to be well ahead of schedule- at least as of three weeks ago.

Addressing the subject at ACC media day, Mack was extremely excited about Johnson’s imminent return:

"“They gave us the timeline of four to eight months, and I think it is going to be closer to four,” Mack said. “He saw a doctor the other day, and the doctor said six weeks from today we think he can be back on the court playing for us."

Six weeks to the day from that point (October 9th) would fast-track Johnson to return on November 20th against USC Upstate.

Johnson’s return to the lineup will be crucial for a Louisville team most lacking in depth in the backcourt. The Cards snagged graduate transfer Fresh Kimble in the offseason, and return versatile guard Darius Perry, but Johnson was seen as the leader to start at point guard from day one.

Obviously, shoulder injuries are difficult to recover from, and the staff will certainly be in no hurry to rush the Louisville Trinity native back for Upstate or their next opponent Akron. However, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic of this Louisville squad changes when Johnson returns to the fold.