Louisville basketball: Preseason player power rankings

No player on this team receives less credit locally and nationally than redshirt senior Ryan McMahon. The Florida shooting guard has become more well-known for being the ladies man on the team who can shoot it a little, and less for his sustained excellence and improvement year-over-year.

The truth of the matter is that McMahon is an extremely talented player- one who is among the greatest shooters in school history, had a serious hand in some big-time wins last season, and a guy who figures to play a major role in his final season with the Cards.

McMahon started Louisville’s “secret scrimmage” against Ohio State and will start against Bellarmine. As a two guard with continued excellence behind the arc and improved ball-handling, McMahon could be an extremely valuable asset with a chance to continue competing for that starting role.

It seems unlikely that as Louisville nears the meat of its schedule that McMahon would remain a starter but for now, Mack is rolling with the hot hand.

McMahon demonstrated that Louisville’s offense could be lethal in 2018-19 while he was on the floor. When defenses are forced to respect his range, he is able to get into the lane with ease and distribute. In fact, one could argue that no player got better penetration on drives last season that McMahon.

This year, his passing and decision-making as a ball-handler must improve. If he can distribute as a high-level, it’s already a given that the Cards’ three point sniper has the green light from deep. Adding other pieces to his game will make him tough to keep off the floor. And that’s why McMahon finds the top five in our preseason power rankings.