Looks like things may finally start swinging our way. I would love to have 2-3 commits this weekend after this.
Lamont Butler
- Thread starter LXWildcat
- Start date
He has a very good game against us, one of the only ones. We smashed them but he showed up. I like that UNC-W dude who lit us up. He was obviously a very good player as evidenced by his year but he was supremely confident and looked like the best player on the floor that night.
This! Easy to see how many people are conditioned to the 5 star 18 year olds who are all hype and no experience. This dude is a player. Starter on a team that has been better than us the last few years. Defensive stud who has averaged near double figures the last couple years. Great piece.
This is certainly a take. I like his defense, but he’s not even worth mentioning in relation to Wade on offense. I think people have let that shot against FAU convince them that he has a deadly mid-range game even if his three point shooting is mediocre, but the stats don’t bear that out. He made 32% of his mid-range shots this year and 34% last year. Those aren’t good numbers.
Similar game styles, mid range jumpers, bad from 3, that’s what Wade was in his early career.
I don’t know how much Elmer’s glue you have to be dosing on to interpret what I said as an equivalency to D Wade.
I say welcome to the young man, we need you. And I also say ignore the village idiots on here throwing shade. They hella dumb.
I agree somewhat with this, but not for the reason some might think.
Lamont's shot (Called "The Shot") was the biggest shot in Aztec History for sure. But some might not understand..."The Shot" was bigger than life. Until Steve Fisher came aboard 20 years ago, we were nothing. I am 70 years old and 40 years ago as a big Aztec fan, getting to the Final Four in my lifetime was not anywhere on the Radar. Most San Diego had that same feeling for 40/50 years.
Lamont Butler did NOT get a big head over "The Shot"...Lamont Butler became a guy in town that everyone wanted a piece of. He is a great guy who loves everybody and he was flooded with appearances etc...etc...etc.
He tried to fit it all in over the year but this was a MONSTER moment for the City. Lamont did the best he could to please every one. That IS him. I think it took some of his concentration away.
Make no mistake about it. Lamont Butler did not get a big head. Lamont Butler will give you guys all he has.
And remember "The Shot"...And remember..."The Butler Did It".
Awesome post! Thanks for coming to give us some back story.
Some things you’ve listed are objectively verifiable. Like free throwing shooting. You have called the dude a good free throw shooter, but that’s clearly not the case. He has shot 67.5% in his career and a woeful 59.4% on 2.6FTA last year. The fact that you’ve called him a good free thrower shooter when that’s objectively untrue makes me question the rest of your assessment.
You also say he’s a “fair” outside shooter who is working hard to improve. Well, on the same number of attempts from deep, he went from 34% to 30% from JR to SR year.
“Passes well” - What does that mean? He’s a PG who averaged 3 assists his senior year.
Clearly the dude was brought in for his defense and it’s okay to just acknowledge that. Anyone who has expectations for him to contribute much on the offensive end just needs to look at the numbers. They tell the story.
I’m not excited about this dude at all unless he plays about 15mpg.
To be excited about this dude as the starting PG (I can’t imagine he’s coming here to come off the bench) is pure homerism. There are a plethora of more talented guards in the portal and it’s okay to acknowledge that.
I was really impressed with the San Diego State teams the last two seasons and Brian Dutcher did a great coaching job. His players were tough, physical and played together as a team. Lamont Butler is the epitome of those qualities and his vast experience as a winner at a high level will be a huge benefit to our program as we transition to a focus on winning championships, not merely generating NBA draft picks. I am thrilled that Lamont is a Wildcat and I can't wait to see him on the court in the Blue and White.
I am OK with your comments and questions...Here are my thoughts (and remember it is just my opinion as a big basketball fan that played College Basketball on 2 levels but not D1)...
What is a good free throw shooter and what is a great free throw shooter? Yes, Lamont is 67.5 free throw shooter for his career at San Diego State and that INCLUDING his slow start this season for 10 games at the line. As I said before, if you take out his first 10 games of the season (which was clearly in his head), he is a 70 to 72 percent free throw shooter. While not great...Is that bad?
I said "fair" outside shooter. Is 32 percent not a fair outside shooter? I didn't say good and I didn't say great. I said fair.
Passes well? Yes he does. I didn't say he was a leader in the Conf. or a great passer. If he was, I would have stated that. He is a player that passes the ball well. Not great, not bad...but he hits the open man down low on his drives and from the Top.
It is Ok for you not to be excited about Lamont Butler coming to Kentucky. He had a very good year at San Diego State as a Freshman and then a semi bad year as a Soph. At that point after his Soph year I wasn't that excited about him either.
But fact is, Lamont Butler was one of the key's to the Aztecs going to the Championship game 2 years ago & to the Sweet 16 last year.
I respect your opinion. Let's both hope he does well at Kentucky.
I can see how you’d also remember his improved shot over the tournament run - he shot 38.8% from deep during that run.
But I trust four years of numbers and his numbers demonstrate that he’s a defensive machine who can be a liability on the other end of the court. In the game against Creighton during that run, he went for 18. But in another game during that run, he was 1/7 from the field.
I just think there are better all around guards in the portal, especially if this guy is going to be a starter.
Thanks for the input.
Thank you for the kind write up! I would expect nothing less from a kid who obviously helped your program tremendously. Hard workers, and leaders like him with great attitudes are amazing adds to a locker room. I’m beyond happy we got him.
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Sounds to me like Pope got his Epps type player. Solid winner who sets the tone on the court. Great pick up. Hard to find guys with FF experience.
This thread is just another reminder of the homer logic here on RR.
Homers on RR:
I hope we land ___________ or ____________ or __________. These are the guys that have the most skill and align with Pope’s system.
Then those guys sign with someone else or bolt to the league.
Same homers:
Lamont Butler is a stud. Sure, he can’t shoot and averaged under 3 assists per game for his career, but he plays D! So glad to have him and I’ll trust the coach.
Homers on RR:
I hope we land ___________ or ____________ or __________. These are the guys that have the most skill and align with Pope’s system.
Then those guys sign with someone else or bolt to the league.
Same homers:
Lamont Butler is a stud. Sure, he can’t shoot and averaged under 3 assists per game for his career, but he plays D! So glad to have him and I’ll trust the coach.
Regardless of player stats some players have a winning mindset. Butler has a winning mindset. There is the difference when a coach like Pope selects his players and how Cal does it. Pope selects for what he sees to be a fit. Cal selects based on no of.*'s
Thank you very much for the backstory! Kentucky will take good care of him. Best of luck this year to the Aztecs – hopefully, I'll be able to catch a few SDSU games and vice versa. 🤘
I’m old school and I still think defense wins championships.
5 star recruits and Steph Curry has warped some people’s brain.
Welcome aboard, big shot Lamont!!!
5 star recruits and Steph Curry has warped some people’s brain.
Welcome aboard, big shot Lamont!!!
GREAT VIDEO!!! I can't really remember the last time we hit a big shot like that to win a game.
I am glad Cal is gone, but I think he tried to select skilled players who he thought he could teach defense. It certainly did not happen this past season. I do think Reeves progressed some on his defense, though, in his second year.
Welcome to the BBN young fella. You bring Championship game experience and tournament experience we so desperately need. You also bring a defensive presence that we so desperately lacked last year. Once again glad you’re joining the BBN!
If he's a role player I'm ecstatic. He just can't be a major contributor. I know he's a good player but he isn't a good fit if he's expected to play a major role.
DeAndre Liggins was a fan favorite at UK for his tenacity, defense, and critical shots on our first final four run since '98.
He was a shooting guard who shot fewer than 95 threes in his final year and shot 65% from the stripe. Yet, BBN would've killed to have a player like Liggins last year.
Butler's a PG who, I think, can shoot the three closer to 35%. Yes, his productivity decreased last year, but if what's been said about his distractions at SDSU are true, then he won't have that weighing him down here. If he's as hard a worker as SDSU fans say, then I have no doubt Butler will be putting in extra hours of shooting threes and free throws.
I'm okay if he's a good enough shooter to just keep defenses honest at the point. But, he does have work to do to get to that point.
Having slept on it, I'm now cautiously optimistic. F- it. Let's ride.
He was a shooting guard who shot fewer than 95 threes in his final year and shot 65% from the stripe. Yet, BBN would've killed to have a player like Liggins last year.
Butler's a PG who, I think, can shoot the three closer to 35%. Yes, his productivity decreased last year, but if what's been said about his distractions at SDSU are true, then he won't have that weighing him down here. If he's as hard a worker as SDSU fans say, then I have no doubt Butler will be putting in extra hours of shooting threes and free throws.
I'm okay if he's a good enough shooter to just keep defenses honest at the point. But, he does have work to do to get to that point.
Having slept on it, I'm now cautiously optimistic. F- it. Let's ride.
Exactly!! Epps was the straw that stirred our drink.
Drilling into his 3 point shooting a bit - he basically gives you 1 make on 3 attempts per game over the past 2 seasons.
He isn’t a volume chucker. Never took more than 6 threes in a game last year. His worst games were at 0 for 3.
In games where he shot at least 4 threes, he shot 38%. Could be an indication that he could heat up a bit in a system where he’s expected to take more threes, and can get in more of a rhythm from outside.
At any rate, he looks like a “keep ‘em honest from outside” player with possible upside in a system that puts more emphasis on the three point shot.
He isn’t a volume chucker. Never took more than 6 threes in a game last year. His worst games were at 0 for 3.
In games where he shot at least 4 threes, he shot 38%. Could be an indication that he could heat up a bit in a system where he’s expected to take more threes, and can get in more of a rhythm from outside.
At any rate, he looks like a “keep ‘em honest from outside” player with possible upside in a system that puts more emphasis on the three point shot.
Fantastic addition to the team. Who wouldn't want the starting PG of arguably the 2nd best team in college basketball the last 2 years?
He was a starter and played a major role on a team that went to the finals and was maybe the 2nd best team of the last 2 years, but he's not good enough to play a major role for us?
We have some real idiots on this board. And this thread is full of them.
I honestly think all of BBN's issues with Butler lie in his dramatically worsened shooting last year. I think he's better than what he put on the court last year, though, and I'm looking forward to watching him ball out as a Cat.
What offensive system does SDSU use? I read somewhere that it was tough to score a lot. Kind of a slower-paced O.
I love constantly seeing what his team did two years ago. How about last year?
Also if you think that team was the 2nd best team of the last few years that's just being ridiculous.
Again: he's a good player but a bad fit
He played a “major role” as the starting point guard for three straight highly ranked SDSU team …including teams that have reached two straight Sweet 16s and reached the National Championship game (thanks to HIS buzzer beater in the Final Four).
Oh, but he’s not good enough to play such a role for a UK team that hasn’t been past the first weekend of the tournament since 2019 and is starting over with a new coach?
LOL. Some of you folks are just plain delusional. What more are you expecting? Were you instead thinking we’d find Steph Curry in the transfer portal? This guy is a fantastic get, appreciate it.
They won 26 games and reached the Sweet 16 where they went down to eventual national champ UConn.
Is that not good enough for you? Did you prefer our first round flame out to Oakland?
Since Pope has been on the job for 2 weeks, I’m going to assume that he has a better idea of what fits what he wants to do than we do.
I kind of get all the gnashing of teeth, but mostly I don’t. At least not until Pope has constructed a full roster and we see what that looks like on the court. I’m sure we’ll all get plenty of chances to criticize later.
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