Is Louisville basketball due for a change in the starting lineup?

Who to replace

Since inserting Fresh Kimble into the starting lineup for Ryan McMahon against Florida State, the Cards have gone 10-2, losing to FSU and then of course to Georgia Tech Wednesday night. In between those games, Louisville managed to rip off 10 straight wins and move back up the national rankings and into contention for a one seed in the NCAA Tournament.

During that stretch, the starters have been inconsistent at best, as Duke is the only game that quickly comes to mind of where the team started strong and carried it all the way throughout. Sure, Louisville’s picked up 10 wins in a row before losing to Georgia Tech, but the slow starts have forced them into figuring out how to flip switches and pull out games late.

If Mack is going to make lineup changes there are three players who make sense in going to the bench.

Darius Perry

The junior guard has started every game this season for Louisville, starting at the point guard position early in the year before sliding over to the two spot, his natural position, with Fresh Kimble playing the one.

Perry has been good but not great during the Cards stretch of wins, providing shot-making and good defense, but not a lot else. He’s a player that confidence comes into question when you talk about making a change to the starting lineup, especially considering he’s been there all season long.

Mack has to know that if Perry goes to the bench that he’d understand that his role would entail becoming an energy player, much like Johnson and Williams have done. That means coming into the game and giving the same effort we’ve seen from Perry during his best defensive stretches, as well as making sure he fits into the flow of the offense and doesn’t try to get too out of control.

Moving Perry to the bench also means you no longer have a true point guard on your bench as both he and Ryan McMahon are more natural off the ball. While the rotations could be tweaked to where you have Johnson or Kimble on the floor at all times, it brings into question how that would impact the rest of the lineups.

If there’s anything that the tweet from Hoops Insight tells us it’s that Mack can’t continue to get away with Louisville playing Perry and Kimble huge minutes together like he has for a good chunk of this season.

The two play very similar games and have very similar weaknesses and with them both on the floor together it shows far more frequently than when Mack plays Johnson and McMahon mixed in.

I think the guard position is easily the position that needs a change in the starting five.

Fresh Kimble

If Chris Mack decides that bringing David Johnson into the starting five makes sense another candidate to move to the bench would be Kimble.

As mentioned, Kimble started the first 13 games of the season on the bench after transferring to Louisville, a stretch in which he struggled to find his footing. After putting together a solid performance against Kentucky, Mack decided that having Kimble’s scoring and leadership in the starting five was the right move.

While Kimble has yet to put together a stretch of consistent play, he’s been solid on both ends of the floor. Sure, there’s been moments where Kimble has been taken advantage of defensively, with Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Georgia Tech coming to mind, but his experience, quickness, and intensity has been important.

His overall impact has been limited a bit with the emergence of Johnson, but his play has still been important to the Cards winning streak. Going back to the bench is a logical move for Kimble, as he’s proven to be a good leader and someone who can be trusted to bring energy. You shouldn’t lose any scoring while adding playmaking and a higher ceiling with Johnson at the point.

Steven Enoch

If Malik Williams comes into the starting lineup that means Enoch likely goes to the bench. Williams and Enoch were in a very similar situation last season as Mack made the move to go from Enoch in the starting five to Williams, without messing with rotation and rhythm of the team.

The same move could once again provide a lift to the team, as Williams would provide more energy on the defensive side of things and on the offensive glass, two areas where Enoch doesn’t thrive. Off the bench, Enoch would give Louisville a true low post scoring threat that a lot of backup bigs may not be able to handle.

Imagine Williams starting and bringing energy early for the Cards and then when the opposing bigs are worn down midway through the first half, one of the better post up bigs in the country comes in fresh off the bench.

Enoch could thrive in a bench role and it could ultimately be of benefit to the Cards going forward.