Lamont Butler is the perfect point guard for Mark Pope's system

Lamont Butler is going to have a massive season for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Mar 24, 2024; Spokane, WA, USA; San Diego State Aztecs guard Lamont Butler (5) celebrates after defeating the Yale Bulldogs at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

One player who Kentucky fans aren't talking all that much about is the San Diego State transfer, Lamont Butler. Last season for the Aztecs, Butler averaged 9.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and three assists per game.

Butler isn't a guard who is going to light up the stat sheet. He is a veteran guard who, on the offensive side of the floor, will always make the right decision and score when he either has a path to the rim or an open jump shot. These are the type of guards you need to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Butler's calling card is his defense. He very well could be the best on-ball defender in all of college basketball and will bring that defensive intensity to the SEC.

A player like Butler is exactly what Kentucky needs to help feed players like Jaxson Robinson, Koby Brea, and Andrew Carr, who will be the primary scorers on this team. The former Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year will make opposing guards' lives miserable on a night-to-night basis.

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.”