Louisville basketball: Preseason player power rankings

One of the greatest unknowns as far as contributions he will provide for this Louisville squad, Graduate transfer Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble comes in at No. 7.

Kimble will be tasked with helping to fill the void of last year’s graduate transfers Christen Cunningham and Khwan Fore- both of whom had stellar moments in their final college seasons.

However, what Kimble brings to the table may be far different than anything we’ve seen in recent years.

Who does Chris Mack think Kimble will be as a player for the Cards and what does he bring to the table?

"“A lot of stability. Fresh gives you that five years of college basketball. Understands he’s surrounded by some talented scorers. He’s going to be very protective of the basketball. On defense he’s going to stay in front of the guy he’s covering. That’s who I think Fresh is as a player.”"

But how will Kimble effect this team?

"“He’s come out of his shell. He’s learning for the very first time our terminology. He’s asserted himself a lot more in the fall since we’ve gotten back. He’s gotten in great shape coming off knee surgery. I think this preseason he’s a much different leader than he was when he got here.”"

With Kimble it seems clear the Cards have a natural leader. That’s vital for Louisville’s success, particularly on a team that has no true point guard, save perhaps David Johnson.

Kimble is a willing passer, but he’s at his best when tasked with creating a scoring play. For now, he sits right in the middle of our power rankings, but he has as good of a chance as any one of the middle-of-the-pack players here to make a leap in the first month of the season.

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with the ceiling as high as freshman wing, Samuell Williamson. After committing to Louisville, Cardinal fans watched the Rockwall, TX native go from a fringe top 50 player to a top 25, five-star, McDonald’s All-American blue chip in just a matter of months.

That type of rise has turned a lot of heads around college basketball, especially when it comes to just how good Louisville can be, and it’s created a ton of palpable buzz around Williamson being a potential one-and-done player. Williamson has a ton of talent and will be one of the Cards better scorers the second he steps onto the floor, but the role he plays to start the season will probably be much different than the role he plays by season end.

Will he start or come off the bench? That’s the question most Louisville fans have for Coach Mack, one that he answered (half-heartedly) today in his media day press conference. As Mack gave what would be his starting five today, the freshman sensation was not included, which means there’s a good chance he’ll start the season as the team’s sixth man.

In order to become the Final Four caliber team that we all know Louisville can be, they’ll need Williamson to develop into the team’s secondary scorer and do so quickly in an attempt to help take the pressure off of preseason ACC Player of the Year, Jordan Nwora. That’s something he’s 100 percent capable of, using his array of mid-range and deep shooting and the ability to attack the rim at a high-level.

Louisville has a real chance to get off to a great start, but they’ll need Sam Williamson to step up and play well right away.