Lamont Butler (Vicky Graff Photo)
If you only looked at the boxscore, what Lamont Butler did on Saturday would not jump out at you.
He played 23 1/2 minutes and went 2-for-5 from the field and 4-for-5 at the foul line to score eight points. He dished out three assists, made one steal and grabbed one rebound but made three turnovers.
However, ask anyone on either team what impact Butler made in UK’s 80-57 win over South Carolina after missing the three previous games and there’s no doubt that he impacted the game from start to finish despite playing with the sore shoulder.
“I assumed they were going to play him,” South Carolina coach Lamont Paris said. “More than anything, aside from him being a good player, I think it changes the dynamics of what some other guys are out there doing on the court. Maybe some guys are in more natural roles. I think that is probably the thing I noticed the most.
“He is a competitor. He has started all these games for a reason. He helps them play their best version of basketball on both ends of the court.”
No argument there and even though UK won at Tennessee without him, Kentucky misses his leadership too much on offense and defense if he is not in the lineup and teammates know it.
“We missed him. When we are out there, you can tell that having him back does major things for our team,” sophomore center Brandon Garrison, who had 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting and two blocks, said. “Having him back allows us to have more steals, a quicker response and a confidence boost. “
Otega Oweh continued his streak of scoring in double figures in every game by getting 15 of his 17 points in the second half. He said it was “huge” to have the team’s point guard back.
“Just his presence helps us out so much, offensively, defensively, I mean I’ve asked him every single day since he’s been out if he was playing, so I’m just glad he got to suit up today,” Oweh said.
Kentucky coach Mark Pope had been remarkably patient with Butler’s injury and also maintained confidence in his team even though he knew how much not having Butler hurt the team. Pope said he even “teased” Butler after he missed a layup early in the win.
“It was really shaky but that’s what happens when you haven’t dribbled the ball for two weeks. Right?” Pope said. “He was terrific. He got better and better. You know, having him a couple of game reps, we know how potent he is and he’s going to learn how to do it a different way.
“He’s wearing a brace that is like a tank on his shoulder but it’s really nice to have him back.”
2 Responses
He did help with our defense. He wasn’t a lockdown stopper, but he doesn’t have to be, just make them earn what they get. Butler is not at full strength and that’s ok
He did help with our defense. He wasn’t a lockdown stopper, but he doesn’t have to be, just make them earn what they get. Butler is not at full strength and that’s ok, he will gradually get his game back as well as his conditioning. What he should be doing is to look to make other people better at what they do. He didn’t force a ton of shots, he did make 4 of 5 freethrows, had 3 assists but also had 3 turnovers in 23 minutes of play. We will need him to have a similar game Tuesday, hoping the rebounds and assists may tick up a little and the turnovers tick down some. He doesn’t have to score 30 points for us to win, just keep making his freethrows. All things considered, he was a positive contributor to the win yesterday. As he gets healthier, he will be able to do more, but he did enough of what we needed for the win. Thank you Lamont. Go CATS!!!