NBA Draft Rewind - Da'Sean Butler
While I could spend hours articulating the many beauties of watching Da'Sean Butler grace the floor in Morgantown, my main goal is to give a brief rewind into the Butler's players draft process and what was said about him. Also, I hope to bring back some of that nostalgia during these dark times of COVID-19.
First, let's not just glance over the elephant in the room, Butler was well on his way to becoming a lottery pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, after he saw his draft stock soar during the Mountaineers' Final Four run. However, that stock came crashing down when Butler fell to the floor with a knee injury against Duke in the Final Four.
The disturbing ending to Butler's career is the sole reason that he was drafted 42nd overall by the Miami Heat in the 2010 NBA Draft. The already looming questions around his ability to get to the rim in the NBA, mixed with a now questionable knee, not ideal. In fact, Butler wasn't even cleared to play full contact basketball until four months post draft.
Strengths:
After researching various scouting reports of Butler, I have concluded these to be the pundits' unanimous strengths - Butler plays the game from an old school standpoint, he knows how to score, shoots the ball well, moves well off the ball, great defender, plays every position well defensively and he thrives in the mid range.
Looking back, the pundits were pretty accurate here. Butler's career in Morgantown featured all of that, and then some. Now, let's look at the experts' worries surrounding Butler, and check the accuracy of their takes.
Weaknesses:
The first unanimous, and perhaps the biggest weakness, Butler's athletic ability, or lack there of. Amongst other concerns - plays below the rim, doesn't take advantage of size and strength, can't guard quick players, won't be able to create shots at next level, can't beat an athletic defender off the dribble.
Once again, the draft scouts were pretty spot on, but for obvious reasons. One, had the injury verse Duke never happened, Butler would have had, at least, an average NBA career. He did play under the rim a little too much, as well as, got exposed athletically. However, I refuse to believe that Butler wouldn't have figured out ways to improve his athleticism, had he had the chance. The fact that he wasn't cleared to play until four months after the draft tells you everything you need to know about Butler and his NBA career.
Comment below with which Mountaineer you want to see next!
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