NBA Comparison: Bryn Forbes

Strengths: Smart, competitive, scrappy combo guard who helped lead Baylor to its first National Championship … Butler is a gifted scorer, capable of creating his own shot or shooting off the catch … He is a smart and willing passer, especially considering he was rarely the true point guard… Has a wide array of dribble moves, and can finish with either hand … Craft at creating space. He changes pace and direction well, helping to gain separation in the mid range and around the basket … He has a polished post game, and can bully smaller players around the basket if he gets a switch … Smooth, quick jump shot with a high release point, which should equate to continued efficiency in the NBA … Comfortable running the pick and roll, and can score or facilitate using picks … Butler is a solid defender, with tremendous positioning and a high basketball IQ … He is almost always in the right spot, leading to steals, limited dribble penetration and quicker closeouts … Plays defense with his feet rather than his arms … Communicates well on defense, which facilitates better switches …. Pressures ball handlers without fouling … Shows the ability to limit the top opposing guard to difficult shots and limited attempts … Jumps passing lanes thanks to instincts, understanding of the game … Strong, quick, active hands leads to steals … 3rd among power five players in steals per game … Continual ascension in nearly every category points to work ethic and room for improvement … Has the ball handling and passing vision to play the point guard, and the shooting ability to play off the ball … Fits well into any system thanks to his scoring versatility and tenacious defense … Pushes well in transition … Will be able to immediately play on the NBA level … Knocked down 41.6% from 3 as a junior and 38.4% over his three year career, on roughly 6 attempts per game …

Weaknesses: Butler is not particularly athletic for a guard … Averaged three turnovers a game … Needs to limit poor passing decisions to be effective playing the lead guard position in the NBA … Only 17% of his two-point jump shots were assisted, and he can lean too heavily on isolation and dribble pull-up shots … Can get tunnel vision while driving, especially in transition and can miss teammates that become open while he is driving … Limited as a rebounder, collecting just 96 rebounds the whole year … Decreased rebounding numbers each of the last two seasons … Just 10 offensive rebounds this season … Boxes out when already around the rim, but can get caught watching if he is farther away … May struggle to convert shots at the rim against taller defenders in the NBA due to a limited vertical … Has ideal size for a point guard, but is undersized as a shooting guard … Needs to add weight to sustain the physicality of the next level, even more so as a shooting guard … Not big or strong enough to defend small forwards at the next level, raising concerns of defensive switch ability on screens and in transition … Won’t win foot races in transition, and needs to beat defenders with skill and creativity rather than pace.

Notes: Measured 6’2.25” barefoot, 6’3.75” in shoes 8’2.5” standing reach, 193.0 lbs, and 6’4.0” wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine … Was named the Big 12 Player of the Year, in addition to being named to the All-Big 12 first team and a consensus first-team All American. Has a 70-20 record in college and a 50-6 record over the last two seasons … Butler was the best player on one of the most potent teams in the country … He led the team in scoring with almost 17 points per game with good efficiency from the field and behind the arc…

Michael Hopp 4/15/21

NBA Comparison: Frank Jackson

Strengths: Very steady combo guard who spearheaded Baylor to being one of the big surprise college teams of the season … At 6’3, 190 lbs, has ideal point guard size and the potential to log time at both positions … Thrives in running the pick and roll, showing a solid ability to score and facilitate in those situations … Shooting motion is very good. He has a little bit of a push to his shot, and though it’s not pure, it is consistent and fairly efficient … Led the Baylor Bears, a team heading for a 1 seed in the tourney to their best season ever, and was team’s leading scorer at 16 ppg … Had solid efficiency at 42.1% FG, 38.1% 3P… Ability to knock down the three ball is one of the more enticing aspects of his game, and he should be able to extend his range (to NBA 3) and find similar success in time … Plays a very controlled offensive game, with very good balance and utilizes hesitation moves to create space … Solid physical frame, able to absorb contact and maintain momentum … Scores well in catch and shoot situations … Mature and focused. Doesn’t lose his cool easily … Coachable player, with solid attention to detail … Has some clever runners and ability to get defenders off balance to create space … Showed solid ability to finish in the paint, from an efficiency standpoint, however limited speed/ath limited his attempts at the rim …

Weaknesses: Not a true point guard. Much more of a scorer than a facilitator, and will need to become better at setting teammates up … Below the rim athlete. Lacks size and athleticism as a full time 2-guard … Did not even lead the team in assists (Davion Mitchell was the team leader at 3.8 apg) and had just a 3.1 to 2.4 A/TO ratio … Will need to cut down on turnovers, his ball handling appears to be lacking for a point … Athleticism doesn’t really jump out. Not very explosive, making him just average at both creating space for himself and attacking and finishing at the basket … Average overall speed, and doesn’t have the burst to push the ball up the floor and put pressure on the defense … Lack of speed and athleticism makes him below average in transition, and much better suited for the half court, and specifically PnR game … Wingspan reportedly in the neighborhood of 6’4, so he does not possess much length … His lack of speed/ath also limits his ability to score when he’s not afforded a pick. He must improve upon his ability to score when forced to isolate … Struggles to create space in ISO … Despite his size, doesn’t really play big, and rarely makes athletic plays at the rim … Inability to dunk with ease has cost him baskets when he has more athletic opponents trailing him on the break … Should be able to improve upon his 77.5% FT shooting in sophomore year. Shot 79% as a freshman … Solid defensively as he shows focus and determination, though may struggle to contain bigger more athletic 2s as well as smaller speedier points at the next level … Did not get to the line very often, as he shot just 3 FT per game … Despite solid efficiency scoring around the basket in college, may be in for a rude awakening in finding the same success at the next level at scoring on drives with below average athleticism …

Outlook: Projected as an early-to-mid second rounder for the 2020 NBA draft, Butler has some desirable attributes for the next level and figures to have a chance to catch on as a back up in the league … Plays a steady, smooth game, despite not having flashy, explosive athleticism …

Notes: Native of Reserve, LA … Led Baylor to an impressive 26-4 season where they were in line to be a #1 seed before the COVID-19 virus wiped out postseason play … Baylor also spent much of the season ranked #1 as they went on a huge win streak after losing to Washington in their second game of the year …

Aran Smith 7/9/20