Why Kenny Payne could be a fit for returning Louisville basketball center Sydney Curry

There figure to be major roster changes by the time the Louisville men's basketball team plays its first game under Kenny Payne.

But at least one key piece is staying put.

Sydney Curry, Louisville's most efficient player — and arguably its best in the season's second half — is returning for his senior season, he announced Wednesday on Twitter.

The 6-foot-8, 260-pound Curry averaged 7.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in his first season at Louisville after transferring from John A. Logan College.

It's a significant get for Payne — a noted developer of big men — as he looks to build his first Louisville team.

Louisville basketball: The secret to Kenny Payne's recruiting success? A 'unique ability' to connect

The Cardinals entered the 2021-22 season stacked with depth at center, but Malik Williams' Louisville career ended with a tumultuous senior season, and Gabe Wiznitzer earlier this month entered the transfer portal.

In addition, 6-foot-10 Fredrick King, a center who played at the NBA Academy Latin America and signed with Louisville last fall, has requested his release from the school, according to a report from 247Sports.

That leaves Curry and sophomore-to-be Roosevelt Wheeler — who has yet to announce his intentions — as the only low-post players on the U of L roster.

It's unclear how Payne wants his team to play offensively or defensively, but in Curry he'll start with a reliable scorer in the paint.

Curry played limited minutes early in the season but emerged as one of Louisville's best scoring options as the year progressed. In his first 12 appearances, he averaged 2.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 7.1 minutes. Over his final 16 games, he started 11 times and averaged 18.6 minutes, scoring 10.3 points and grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game.

There are weaknesses in Curry's game. Though he showed extended range on his floater late in the season, he hasn't proven to have much of an offensive game facing the basket. And he has weaknesses on defense, particularly in defending pick and rolls and switching onto perimeter players.

March Madness: What to know about Louisville women's Final Four opponent: No. 1 South Carolina

But as an assistant coach, Payne built a reputation for player development, particularly with big men. At Kentucky, he worked closely with a range of centers and power forwards, including Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and P.J. Washington.

Both at Kentucky and with the New York Knicks, Payne is credited with helping bring the best out of Julius Randle, who won the NBA's Most Improved Player the first season Payne worked with him in New York.

Curry doesn't have the résumé of those Kentucky players, who were elite high school recruits. In 2019, he was a three-star recruit coming out of Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. And Louisville signed him as a three-star junior-college prospect out of John Logan.

Still, Curry has skills for Payne to work with.

Though he's undersized for a true center, Curry is a physical force who's strong enough to back down taller players and has shown an ability to scorer against length. He shot 67.2% this season.

UofL coverage: Louisville basketball forward Samuell Williamson enters transfer portal, per report

Curry also has flashed a knack for passing out of double teams, and he was the Cardinals' most efficient offensive player. According to Sports-Reference.com, Curry's Player Efficiency Rating of 25.1 was highest among Louisville rotation players, well ahead of Williams, who was second at 20.5.

But if there's an encouraging sign for Curry's development under Payne, it's the improvement he showed in season as a junior. He arrived on campus weighing more than 300 pounds and was in the 260-pound range by the end.

“If he came in at 258 pounds at the start of the season, we could have been going to him Day One,” then-Louisville interim coach Mike Pegues said early this month. “But credit to him for getting a lot better throughout the season. We have revamped our offense to play around him and to get him the ball inside.”

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: How Kenny Payne helps Sydney Curry in return to Louisville basketball