Season in review: Louisville forward Khani Rooths
Welcome to “Season in review,” a post-season Louisville basketball series highlighting each individual performer and their impact on the Cardinals’ 2025-26 season. Now, we shift our focus to Khani Rooths.
Previously: Sananda Fru, Isaac McKneely, J’Vonne Hadley, Mikel Brown Jr, Vangelis Zougris, Ryan Conwell, Adrian Wooley, Kobe Rodgers
Rooths: 31 games, 5.3 pts, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, 44.9% FG, 22.4% 3PT
The forward out of Washington, D.C., had a season of ups and downs. Coming into his sophomore season, fans hoped for a sophomore jump. During portions of the 2025-26 season, we saw flashes of what Rooths could be.
However, those flashes never turned into consistent production. His peak came during late January into early February, as he totaled three straight games of ten rebounds or more, while notching two consecutive double-doubles.
Following that stretch, Rooths’ productivity failed to match that level of consistency again. Following the matchup against Wake Forest on February 7, the sophomore forward averaged 2.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks on 40.0 percent shooting (12 GP).
Offensive productivity
Where the D.C. native found success on the offensive end was as a play-finisher. Rooths excels in the open floor, where he can use his explosiveness and size to finish through or over the top of defenders. He’s also a lob threat, having long arms and decent hands to catch and finish around the rim.
The forward also flashed some success in post-up situations, but didn’t tap into this aspect of his game enough. At his size, it would’ve been ideal to see him capitalize on switches more often. Considering that he hadn’t made massive strides as a ball-handler, posting up gave him an easier path to the rim.
According to Synergy Sports, he ranked in the 71st percentile in points per shot at the rim. He also converted 62.9 percent of his shots at the rim.
Lastly, where he failed to make strides was as a perimeter shooter. In the previous 2024-25 season, Rooths only made 23.1 percent of his three-point attempts on low volume (1.5 3PA per game). Coming into the 2025-26 season, this was a known aspect of his game that needed development.
However, during the 2025-26 season, he regressed in this department. On the year, he shot 22.4 percent on 1.9 three-point attempts per game. With him playing a lot of minutes at the four, his lack of perimeter shooting hindered Louisville’s offense and spacing. When he was alongside Sananda Fru or Vangelis Zougris, spacing was limited for Louisville’s offense.
Defensive versatility
Where Rooths added value was on the defensive end of the floor. He shined using his size and athleticism, possessing the ability to defend multiple spots.
When engaged, Rooths flashed some intriguing upside on this end of the floor. He moves his feet fairly well, which allows him to defend the lineup. Before he got sick, he also added weight to his frame, which allowed him to be an option defending up the lineup.
His activity was felt on the defensive glass as well, as he didn’t mind contact and pursued rebounds in traffic. In his minutes played, he totaled a 22.2 percent defensive rebounding rate.
The Bottom Line
In totality, Rooths had a season of flashes, but didn’t maintain a level of consistency that was hoped for. When his motor was running and he was engaged, he impacted the game defensively, as a play-finisher, and on the glass. When he wasn’t engaged, it was hard to feel his impact, and he could even be invisible in spurts. He also didn’t make the strides that were hoped for in terms of his ability to stretch the floor.
He is one of several Cardinals to announce their plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal this week.
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