How Trentyn Flowers' exit impacts Year 2 of Kenny Payne's Louisville basketball rebuild

When Louisville men's basketball fans were in a panic Monday over prized 2023 signee Trentyn Flowers' unexpected departure from the program to jump start his professional career in Australia, Skyy Clark took to social media to serve as a voice of reason.

"Gooooood grief, the season ain't even started yet," Clark, a sophomore transfer from Illinois expected to start at point guard for the Cardinals, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to a nervous supporter. "We got a pack of wolves this year. We straight. We ain't trippin over here — this locker room (is) ready for whatever!!!"

Clark was optimistic. But it's safe to say second-year head coach Kenny Payne would have preferred his follow-up effort to the worst season in modern program history feature Flowers, the highest-rated player in his top-flight 2023 recruiting class, wearing a U of L uniform — not choosing to instead suit up for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League in Australia a week before the start of fall classes.

"We're certainly disappointed in his decision and the timing," Payne said Monday in a statement. "We fully believe in the University of Louisville's ability to help student-athletes reach their goals, including to play at the highest levels of professional basketball — and we’re confident that Trentyn could have achieved his dreams by making Louisville his home. However, we wish Trentyn and his family well in all of their future endeavors."

And with that, as Clark told another Cardinals fan on X, "the show goes on." But what will it look like without Flowers, a projected first-round NBA draft pick in 2024 by USA TODAY Sports whose athleticism and 6-foot-8 frame likely would have commanded playing time at multiple positions had he stuck around Louisville?

Here's a breakdown of where things stand:

What was Trentyn Flowers' role going to be with Louisville basketball?

Looking toward his freshman season during an interview with The Courier Journal in June, Flowers said he would be playing shooting guard and small forward at U of L.

In his final radio show of the 2022-23 season, Payne said he wants "five guys who are all interchangeable on the floor." And Flowers' skill set fits that bill.

He's as tall as Sydney Curry, who lined up at power forward and center for the Cardinals last season, but much quicker. His ability to handle the ball, combined with his 6-10 wingspan, makes him effective in transition, off the dribble and posting up undersized defenders in the paint. Defensively, he said he welcomed the toughest assignments on the perimeter as a junior at North Carolina's Combine Academy to prepare for the next level.

Flowers has plenty of room for improvement, especially when you consider he bypassed his senior year of high school to join Louisville ahead of schedule, but would have been a key contributor in Payne's rebuilding effort. That, however, no longer aligns with his quest to reach the NBA.

Flowers' decision to leave the program for the NBL, he told ESPN on Monday, was due in part to the 36ers offering him the chance to line up at point guard. If all goes according to plan, he said, he will "learn how to run a team" like first-round NBA draft picks LaMelo Ball (6-7) and Josh Giddey (6-8), who both spent one season Down Under before making the jump to — and excelling on — the sport's biggest stage.

How does Trentyn Flowers' departure impact Kenny Payne's plan for Louisville basketball's 2023-24 roster?

With Flowers gone, Payne now has six players standing 6-6 or taller who can be mixed and matched throughout the lineup while 7-1 freshman Dennis Evans, junior Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10) and sophomore Emmanuel Okorafor (6-9) man the frontcourt.

They are: junior-college transfer Koron Davis (6-7), former Male High School standout Kaleb Glenn (6-6), Miami transfer Danilo Jovanovich (6-8), senior JJ Traynor (6-8), Southern California transfer Tre White (6-7) and Curtis Williams Jr. (6-6), the top 2023 high-school prospect in the state of Michigan. Redshirt sophomore Mike James (6-5) is also an option at the one through four, Payne said, after making strides as a ball-handler and shooter this offseason.

White, who is a strong choice for the starting small forward spot after being named to the Pac-12's All-Freshman Team last season, has the most to gain from Flowers' departure. Starting 29 of USC's 33 games, he rotated primarily between the three and the four while averaging nine points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. Now, he could now see more playing time at shooting guard.

With that, however, comes the need to become a better passer and long-range scoring threat. White tallied just 34 assists against 40 turnovers while going 13 for 49 (26.5%) from 3 across 26.7 minutes per game with the Trojans.

Column from C.L. Brown: Trentyn Flowers' Australia move feels like Cards' 29th loss — and wrong for everyone

Glenn and Williams are more traditional wings with solid foundations for growth, and with Flowers out of the rotation the freshmen could clock additional minutes at the two.

Payne praised the way Glenn embraced "being uncomfortable" on the perimeter during summer workouts, and his strength could create matchup problems for opponents once he feels at home in the position. Williams, on the other hand, lacks high-level athleticism — his high school coach told The Courier Journal he'll "never win a dunk contest" — but makes up for it with his feel for the game, his shooting and his tenacity on the defensive end.

After playing power forward as a freshman at Paris Junior College, Davis returned to point guard during his sophomore season at Los Angeles Southwest Community College, where he averaged 23.8 points on 48.1% shooting (35 for 106 from 3-point range) with 6.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists against 3.9 turnovers per contest. He and James, who is in line to reclaim his starting spot at shooting guard, are the most likely candidates at this juncture to spell Clark with uncertainty surrounding 2023 signee Ty-Laur Johnson's eligibility, but both players need to prove themselves at the position.

Jovanovich, who logged just two minutes in one appearance as a freshman with the Hurricanes before redshirting, and Traynor, who across 32 games (15 starts) as a junior averaged 6.9 points on 47.4% shooting (23 for 73 from 3) with 3.8 rebounds per content, fit most naturally at the three or the four. Payne said Traynor showed a renewed sense of confidence during summer workouts "knowing his success is predicated" on the energy he brings to the court.

Flowers was just one piece in the large puzzle of getting Louisville back to its winning ways, but his absence will be felt throughout the season. It furthers the need for Payne's returners and transfer acquisitions to hit the ground running while helping the freshmen through the fire. He and his staff must also decide on a backup point guard if Johnson cannot join the team to avoid repeating a mistake from its disastrous 2022-23 campaign.

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: How Trentyn Flowers' departure shakes up Louisville basketball roster