Chris Mack believes “uber-talented” Jae’Lyn Withers ready for big season

Louisville basketball redshirt freshman offers intrigue.

The story of the 2020-21 offseason for Louisville basketball and head coach Chris Mack is how the Cardinals are able to replace the loss of so much production from 2019-20.

Particularly upfront for a Louisville squad that loses Dwayne Sutton and Jordan Nwora- Two of it’s better players, with the latter receiving All-American honors last season.

This week, we sat down with Mack, who spoke about how the Cardinals plan to replace two extremely productive forwards in 2020.

Specifically, Mack talked a lot about redshirt freshman Jae’Lyn Withers. The former four-star wing from Cleveland, Ohio was expected to come in and contribute sparingly last season, but fellow freshman Quinn Slazinski was well ahead of the curve and Withers sat out in order to learn and grow in Mack’s system.

Chris Mack on Withers’ potential

“He’s uber-talented,” Mack said of Withers. “I think last year was a great chance to not really put the pressure on him… He would have been way too inexperienced, and he’s still going to have some growing pains this coming year.”

Mack is excited about Withers’ incredible potential as a long, athletic frame reminds you of a Dominque Wilkins type of player who can stretch the floor and use his size and length to create mismatches.

“Some of the things he does you can’t teach,” Mack said. “He gets way above the rim. At times, he can be a mismatch four or five.”

The five? Please, continue.

“I know that when we recruited Jae’Lyn, we never had the intention of playing him at the five, but he’s grown an inch and a half, he’s certainly strong enough to defend most fives in our league, and I think he’d be a very tough cover for a lot of teams- Especially when he faces the basket.”

Read more: Chris Mack lands his point guard of the future

Louisville fans have been concerned about the center spot being a question mark behind starter Malik Williams after back-up Aidan Igiehon showed he was an athletic freak in 2019-20 but was still a work in progress on both ends of the floor.

Could the answer to Louisville’s potential depth issues upfront be as simple as Withers being able to slide over to the five?

Perhaps the most exciting takeaway from the conversation with Mack was learning that Withers has grown around an inch and a half, which means that he is likely closer to 6’10” than his listed 6’8.”

But what would his role be like as a player who came in at only 215-pounds last season?

“(Withers is) A little bit like Amir Sims from Clemson,” said Mack. “I know that they recruited him to that position, but for a lot of teams, boy, was he a tough matchup. Jae’Lyn has a chance to really help our team, and we’re gonna need him to. I think he can be effective at both ends of the floor.”

Withers could have the potential to be a player who instantly changes the dynamic of this Louisville basketball team. He is an above-average shooter for his size, can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket, and as he grows taller, longer, and stronger, he could earn a ton of playing time during his first season of eligibility.

As for what this team could look like next season with the emergence of some younger pieces, Mack is optimistic about his team’s flexibility.

“We can play a lot of different ways. We can put four guards around one big guy. That big guy could obviously be a guy like Malik who’s facing the basket. So, we want to continue to have a lot of flexibility with how we play- Especially on the offensive end.”

“I’m not penciling in anybody- They’re gonna have to earn that. I think that we’ve got a lot of hungry guys so it’s going to be exciting to watch that development unfold.”