[mlane83Participant]

This kid is a proven winner, gives 120% everyday, has played against the big boys and always been successful.  What do you think about his chances of playing in the NBA someday?

He is kind of a tweener when it comes to size in the nba, but the kid is as smart as they come when it comes to the fundamentals of basketball, isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and maximizes his ability.

Look at guys like brian cardinal, eduardo najera, reggie evans, all are guys that basically have made decent nba careers by playing 120% and maximizing their talents and not playing outside of who they are.  I think Howard would be a huge asset to any team in the NBA as a solid role player. 

I mean just look at what the kid has done with this butler team, he is the undoubted leader of this team, he plays hard at all times and the team isn’t the same without him in the game.  Not flashy, but hard working and smart as they come. 

Give me some feedback about what you all think about this!!!!

[sammybuckeye13Participant]

Howard is a post player when it comes down to it and there’s no way he can be a successful one in the pros. He will not be able to change games defensively (if he can even really guard power forwards) at the next level and while he developed a nice 3 ball this year he probably won’t be able to create shots for himself, so there isn’t much to sell besides hustle. He’s nowhere near as strong/athletic as a Millsap or Booker-type. I’ll doubt he’ll get drafted but he’ll be on a summer league squad. 

[reiserParticipant]

He’s on the fringe of being a 2nd round draft pick.   Reminds me of Phil Jackson when he played on the Knicks -scrappy, gangly, smart, has a nose for the ball, and can rebound.   Must develop more strength, add muscle/weight, and improve his mid-range game.   I think he’s going to make an NBA roster next year, but wouldn’t expect him to be more than a contributing role player on a good team.   He seemed to struggle with his low post game against Kentucky in this year’s elite 8.   He will have to get stronger if he’s going to play power forward.  Probably not athletic enough to play small forward.   Overall, I think he’s got a shot to be a decent NBA role player. 

[kaceyParticipant]

If he can continue to develop his 3 pt shot he could easily have a Brian Cardinal type impact/career. Hustling, taking charges, knocking down open jumpers.

I could see him sliding into the second round with a good showing at Portsmouth and some solid workouts.

[JoeWolf1]

 I don’t think there is a chance he gets drafted.  He is a fun player to watch and you are totally right about his work ethic and hustle, but at his current skill level he would get dominated at the power forward position at the NBA level.  Thats not to say he’ll never play in the league.

 I agree with Jamie Y when he said that IF he could develop a good 3 pointer he could be a Brian Cardinal type player, but that is going to have to come in the off-season or next year when he’s playing in Europe or the D-League.  I think there is a 0% chance he’ll get drafted unless he miraculuosly leads Butler back to the final 4 and his stock is at it’s absolute highest.

[The lake show2]

They just did a write up on ESPN and he was in it. It said he will make a good pro. Not a star and maybe not a starter but a good role player off the bench. He does have skills and he works hard.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

Do you think growing his stache back could help his stock?

[kanyedabestParticipant]

honestly skill wise and athletic wise he is no where near an nba player, hustle can only take a guy so far

[Raef LaFrentzParticipant]

Stache’ = Yes.

[the barronParticipant]

I agree with the original poster, Howard should be given a chance at the next level. Definitely not a first rounder but a guy like Howard has a place somewhere in the NBA. The guy has talent too. Not all-star talent but he can play in the Association. If you are team drafting in the late second round you can’t go worse than Matt Howard, a proven winner.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

If you were a college star and played well against elite competition you should always get a chance. It doesnt matter if they say your are to small or slow or something like that. If you dominated college then you deserve at least a chance to prove yourself and others wrong.

[JoeWolf1]

 I really think he’s the kind of guy who will not get drafted, but be one of the top names to sign on for summer league.  Jon Sheyer, Brian Zoubek, Sherron Collins, Dennis Clemente were all guys in similar situations last year, they were guys who won a lot in college but had their questions about translation to the NBA.  None were drafted all were signed quicky to summer league teams, a couple made pre season rosters and one played a hand full of NBA games this year.  I feel Howard is the same type of guy, he will play summer league, he may make a pre season roster or regular season roster, but I don’t think he’s getting drafted.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I’m usually very supportive of my Indiana guys, but I don’t think Howard has a future in the league.

He works hard, plays hard, etc but I just don’t think he’s all that good. He’s the type of player that goes undrafted in my opinion and then possibly works his way onto a team to sit at the end of the bench.

He’ll have a shot at the NBA, but I think he ends up either in the D-League or overseas. Or he could pull what a lot of former Butler players have done and just use his diploma to get an amazing ass job somewhere. That’s what AJ Graves did.

[kobyzParticipant]

he is very Eduardo Nájera to me, maybe slightly a better shooter…

[tamiu_devilsParticipant]

 I would love to see the San Antonio Spurs take a look at this guy. He kind of reminds me of a mix between Malik Rose and Eduardo Najera. Could you guys see him on the Spurs team? The spurs did sign someone off the D-League this year and the guy has contributed. He came from a mid -major and was wrongfully accused of raping someone. Can’t remember the guys name but saw the story on ESPN. 

 

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

If a player is good enough to go through the draft process and get invited to the summer league, then he is good enough to be a justifiable pick in the second round. For the most part, a second round pick is a team locking in someone to go to their training camp or allocating him as a developmental project in Europe or the NBDL. I think that is where Howard is going to fall in. He is good enough to merit going through the draft process in a real way, and at that point it is just a matter of whether a team wants to lock him in or not.

Now the problem this year is that if there is a lockout then there will be no summer league. No summer league means undrafted rookies are going to have a much more difficult time getting training camp invites. It is going to impact a lot of guys who may have otherwise been able to catch an eye.

[romeeezybabyParticipant]

nm

[PureshooterParticipant]

In the game against Wisconsin they were talking about how much stronger he looked when playing against Leuer.  I think he could really surprise some people.  I remember him getting abused by Greg Monroe last year, but as long as they don’t have him matched against a center he should be okay.

[mikeywhyParticipant]

Matt Howard will definately have a job in the NBA this year. I believe he will be drafted in the second round and i’ll tell you why.  He plays as similarly to Brian Cardinal as i have seen since Cardinal graduated from Purdue in 2000. Cardinal also used a great tournament run in 2000 (Elight 8) to catapult himself into the second round. A strong showing at Portsmouth will also help.

Howard shows very good strength in the post, and also has the ability to shoot the 3 point shot. Guys that can defend the post but can also spread the floor are valuable and rare in the NBA. Howard also demonstrates the intangibles that are desired in a role player, intelligence and hustle go a long way. Like Cardinal, his hustle play and intelligence often overshadow the fact that the guy also has very good skills.

The thing that helped transition Brian Cardinal from a very good college player to a serviceable NBA player was his work ethic. Cardinal worked very hard the first year to cut his body fat and make sure he had the NBA body to compete in the post. I believe Howard will have to do the same thing to improve his strength and quickness. Howard is naturally strong but will have to improve his agility to defend the pick and roll and limit himself as a defensive liability in the NBA.

I really like his chances to be a good NBA role player, but he’ll need the opportunity.

 

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

…

[jarednew77Participant]

I think any team would be lucky to have Howard. He reminds me a lot of Jeff Foster in the NBA. I think that Howard will be a reliable bench player for awhile that could possibly be a good player. He does though need to work on finding ways to work around being an undersized NBA player. I believe that Howard could be a good addition to any team, because he can come into the game and do all of a teams dirty work. I think though that Howard will be a good reliable player for teams, because of his hardwork, hustle, shooting, and ability to work with anyone. I also think that he will talk what Brad Stevens has tought him at Butler and apply it to the NBA where he could use it effectively. So overall I think that Matt Howard will end up becoming a good bench player for awhile that could possibly develop into a star player later on in his career.

[JNixonParticipant]

Matt Howard is terrible. Slow, super unathletic, not tall enough to cover it up, and he won’t be able to score or defend much against NBA athletes. He struggles with fouls every time he plays athletic teams/bigs.

[JoeWolf1]

The Jeff Foster comparison is way off. 

Jeff Foster is 6’11” and when he was younger he could dunk from the free throw line and despite being a career bench player and part time starter, in his prime he was one of the best offensive rebounders in the league.  Howard isn’t near the athlete he was and doesn’t have near the ceiling. 

[ProudGrandpaParticipant]

He should take up coaching.

Super smart and his work ethic is perfect for coaching the college level

[aamir543Participant]

Dont you see him helping a playoff team ala Tyler Hansbrough this year.

[JNixonParticipant]

Tyler Hansbrough is a much better athlete than Matt Howard.

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