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Probabilities for each Louisville basketball player’s return next season

By Jacob Lane

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 07: David Johnson #13 of the Louisville Cardinals dribbles in the first half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on March 7, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 07: David Johnson #13 of the Louisville Cardinals dribbles in the first half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on March 7, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – MARCH 07: Head coach Chris Mack of the Louisville Cardinals reacts to a play in the second half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on March 7, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – MARCH 07: Head coach Chris Mack of the Louisville Cardinals reacts to a play in the second half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on March 7, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

Jae’Lyn Withers

Wing – RS Freshman

Probability to return: 95 percent

Jae’Lyn Withers came into Louisville this past summer quite possibly one of the more underrated recruits in quite some time. In fact, he felt like a player that was going to potentially be a sleeper impact player in year one before developing into an NBA caliber wing in year two.

While the outcome still may be the same, the path to getting there will end up looking completely different as Withers ultimately was the player that Chris Mack felt most comfortable redshirting in 2019-20 and it may be his best decision yet.

Withers entered college at 6’9 and a frail 200 pounds. His game was ready for the college level due to his freakish athleticism and incredible, Kevin Durant-like length, but his body needed time to catch up.

In a statement released by Louisville, Withers said about the decision:

“I’m all for it. My potential is through the roof and I want to get to that untapped potential and hopefully go above it.  I’ll still be in the wars with our guys as we advance through this season.”

That sentiment was confirmed late in the season by teammate Keith Oddo, who told Hayes Gardner of the Courier-Journal,

"“You’ll see in the next couple of years, he is going to be an absolute freak. I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s 6-9, 6-10 and can jump out of the gym and play on the wing.”"

Folks, if that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. The question isn’t whether Withers will develop into a star, the question is when? If Withers put the same level of work into his body and improving his game while not playing in actual contests, it should go a long way in helping him develop into the guy we all thought he could be as early as next season.

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