With only two games left in non-conference play, the Kentucky Wildcats have put together a special start to the season. One of the big reasons for this red-hot start is star point guard Lamont Butler.
On the season, Butler is averaging 15.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. The senior is shooting 60.8% from the field and 48.1% from three. Butler’s 10-10 from the field and 6-6 from deep performance against Louisville helped boost the numbers as he scored 33 points.
Butler’s impact has a lot more to do with his scoring and efficiency in doing so. He is a lockdown on-ball defender and a great distributor of the basketball.
Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated ranked the top ten transfers in college basketball so far this season, and Butler was ranked ninth.
Here is what Sweeney had to say about Butler, “A case could be made for all five Kentucky starters to be on this list, and a top 50 list would likely include all of them. Butler may well be the most important piece though, solidifying the point guard spot for Mark Pope’s team and raising his offensive game to new heights after being known as a defensive specialist while at San Diego State. Butler is averaging north of 15 points per game after his 33-point outburst in a rivalry win over the Louisville Cardinals over the weekend. He has thrived with more space to operate in Pope’s three-point-centric offense, and he’s also averaging the most assists of his career at 4.1 per contest.”
Butler has been a fan favorite in Lexington so far this season and will forever go down in Kentucky basketball history for his performance in the win over Louisville.
