It is very clear who the leader is for the 2024-25 Kentucky basketball team

This player will be the vocal leader for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Mar 24, 2024; Spokane, WA, USA; San Diego State Aztecs guard Lamont Butler (5) plays the ball in the first half against the Yale Bulldogs at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Pope has put together an interesting 2024-25 roster that includes several players from the transfer portal.

When a team is mostly made up of players in the transfer portal, this generally means the roster is going to be full of veteran players. That is the case for this Kentucky team, but one of the veterans seems to be taking over as the leader of this team.

Lamont Butler seems to be the leader of this team, and it is fitting that the Wildcats' starting point guard is the vocal leader. When interviewing Butler, watching video clips from practice, or even seeing him interact with his teammates, it's clear the San Diego State transfer is the leader of this team.

Butler will be the quarterback of this offense, and he is making his teammates better in practice with his suffocating defense. Kerr Kriisa recently talked about how Butler guards the full length of the court in practice. Kriisa said he has never seen a player do that at this point of the off-season.

Things like this make Kentucky a better basketball team, and Butler is the player holding his teammates accountable and making sure everyone is getting better on a daily basis.

Butler's play on the court will be important for this team, and his leadership and NCAA Tournament experience will also play a crucial role.

Kentucky Athletics sent out this quote from Coach Pope about Butler, “Lamont Butler is the definition of a winner. He might be the best perimeter defensive player in all of college basketball. Lamont has helped lead championship teams for the last four years and hit one of the most epic shots in the NCAA Tournament to send his team to the championship game. He is an elite student who takes his academics seriously. He cares about the community and will embrace the power of wearing ‘Kentucky’ across the front of his chest. I’m extremely excited to coach Lamont and to see the influence he’s going to have on this team.”