Mark Pope says Lamont Butler was “born in a defensive stance”
Kentucky is getting set to play in their first Sweet 16 in six years, and a big part of them getting there has been their defensive improvement. One player that has been a constant in that area all season has been Lamont Butler. The 6-2 guard dealt with injuries for a portion of the regular season and is now giving his all for the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament, even if he is still fighting through pain, although he continues to say he is fine.
The pain isn’t bothering Butler, certainly so, given the fact that he has been so good for the Wildcats lately, especially with his performance on Sunday against Illinois in the Round of 32. That’s exactly what you want in your point guard, someone who will give his all for his team. Butler finished with 14 points on 4-5 shooting overall and 2-3 from three-point range, adding 5 assists, 2 rebounds and 3 steals. Mark Pope knows his impact on the defensive end and how it can. translate to offense. He knows it so much that he says Butler must have been ‘born in a defensive stance.’
“That steal he had right in front of our bench off a missed shot kind of scramble and Illinois is starting to race down the floor and Lamont comes all the way from the other side of the floor and knifes in and gets a clean as day turnover and fires it to (Brandon Garrison) for an and-1. (It) was a huge momentum shifter in the game, huge part in kind of solidifying our lead in the game and there’s a bunch of different parts of that. One is this incredibly unique athleticism that Lamont has. I think he might have come out of the womb in a stance. His body is just made to be in a defensive stance. He just feels comfortable there, feels good there. …He’s got an incredible burst and he’s got incredible brakes. A lot of times, we think about guys with explosiveness, but almost more effective in the game of basketball is how good are their breaks. …That’s a play that none of us even think about making.” Pope on Lamont Butler’s defense.
The Wildcats forced 14 Illinois turnovers, converting those into 26 points, and Butler was certainly a massive part in that. As Kentucky looks to keep their NCAA Tournament ride going, they’ll want Butler to keep his impressive play going, because he is playing some great basketball right now.
