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Louisville basketball: 3 starting lineup options for 2020-2021 season

By Cody Williams

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - DECEMBER 18: Malik Williams #5 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball against the Miami-Ohio Redhawks at KFC YUM! Center on December 18, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - DECEMBER 18: Malik Williams #5 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball against the Miami-Ohio Redhawks at KFC YUM! Center on December 18, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Louisville basketball (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
Louisville basketball (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

Best-case scenario

Some of the aspects of the best-case scenario for the Cardinals starting lineup are going to remain consistent no matter what. For instance, Jay Scrubb comes in as a score-first wing that is capable of making his way onto NBA radars quickly as the top JUCO transfer in the country. Meanwhile, Samuell Williamson was a top-20 recruit in 2019 and Malik Williams figures to be a focal point of the team after a strong campaign this past year.

The first big variable for the best-case scenario is Jones, the new arrival from Radford. In his final season with the Highlanders, Jones proved to be an elite scoring threat at point guard, averaging 20.0 points on 48.8 percent shooting and 40.9 percent shooting from 3-point range. Additionally, he averaged 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per contest.

If Jones is able to make the leap in competition relatively seamlessly, he has the chops to be the starting point guard. That’s what the best-case scenario at that position hinges upon — that he won’t be overwhelmed going from Radford to playing in the ACC and is capable of leading the charge for the Cardinals.

Additionally, the best-case scenario for this starting five is if freshman JJ Traynor can be an immediate impact player. While the Cardinals have young depth at power forward, none of it is proven. If the No. 111 overall player in the 2020 class is able to arrive and lead the charge, that would give Louisville very few weaknesses to exploit.