Louisville Basketball: Projected depth chart and rotation minutes for 2023-24 season

Center

Projected starter: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (20 mpg)

Reserve: Dennis Evans (10 mpg), Emmanuel Okorafor (10 mpg)

The position that’s most wide open for the Cardinals is at center. Huntley-Hatfield returns but the former Tennessee big man and five-star prospect out of high school was far from impressive. He started 21 games last season and averaged 6.7 ppg and 5.4 rpg on 47% shooting from the field in 26 mpg.

Huntley-Hatfield did have a couple of double-doubles, including 12 points and 12 rebounds against NC State. He struggled down the stretch outside of 13 points versus Boston College and didn’t do much to impact the team on defense. He’ll get the start most likely but he has a five-star prospect ready to take over.

Evans is a 7’1 true center that was originally a Minnesota commit. He projects to be a quality defender and that alone should afford him minutes. The concern is that he’s still fairly raw overall, especially on offense. That could limit how much he plays as a freshman.

And Okorafor is an interesting frontcourt player that joined the Cardinals midway through last season. He played five games but did have a solid impact, including six points and four blocks against Pittsburgh. The 6’9 big man is someone that with more experience can eventually end up as a consistent rotation player in the frontcourt.