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Butler Basketball: How junior Nate Fowler is poised for a breakout season

By Lukas Harkins

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 16: Nate Fowler #51 of the Butler Bulldogs sits in the huddle during a timeout against the Winthrop Eagles in the first half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 16, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 16: Nate Fowler #51 of the Butler Bulldogs sits in the huddle during a timeout against the Winthrop Eagles in the first half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 16, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Butler basketball has been an extremely consistent program over the past several years. How will junior Nate Fowler will step up this year?

Butler basketball is in for an interesting season. For starters, they will be without the services of Andrew Chrabascz, Kethan Savage, Avery Woodson, and Tyler Lewis. All of these players were valuable members of last season’s Sweet 16 squad and have all graduated. In addition, previous head coach Chris Holtmann decided to leave the Dawgs and join (the) Ohio State Buckeyes as their new head coach.

Butler then hired their former player and assistant coach LaVall Jordan away from UWM, where he coached in 2016-17. Jordan was able to retain four of the five players from Butler’s recruiting class, but four-star recruit Kyle Young followed Holtmann to Ohio State. With that being said, there is still plenty of talent on the roster for the Bulldogs.

Kelan Martin is one of the best returning players in the country and is a deadly scorer. At 6’7″, he is very tough to defend on the wing as he can rise up from deep for 3-pointers as well as explode to the basket for an emphatic dunk. Martin currently ranks 23rd on Butler’s all-time scoring list and was named to the All-Big East Second-Team in each of the past two seasons.

Then there is sophomore guard Kamar Baldwin. An elite defender and shooter, Baldwin was named to the All-Freshman Team last season. He shoots the three well, is crafty around the basket, and has shown flashes of being an excellent playmaker. Baldwin is likely to be the #2 scorer on this year’s team, but could easily be the most important player thanks to his tremendous two-way playing style.

These two stars are definitely expected to have big seasons, but who will help them? To answer the question, look no further than junior big man Nate Fowler, who is ready for his breakout season. After waiting behind star Andrew Chrabascz the last two seasons, this is the season where Fowler will finally be called upon to be a major contributor.

Fowler played in limited minutes as a freshman in 2015-16, but definitely saw an increase in his role last season. Playing in all 34 games, Fowler averaged 11.9 minutes per game as a sophomore. Without Chrabascz on the roster, Fowler’s role will expand to at least 20 minutes per game.

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    • Tyler Wideman is expected to be the team’s starting center this season, which could cause Fowler to come off the bench, though. Although Fowler can play the power forward position, playing Wideman and Fowler at the same time could cause defensive issues for the Dawgs, as neither is quick enough to defend the perimeter. Regardless of if Fowler is starting or coming off of the bench, it can be expected that he will play “starter’s minutes” and his production should increase as a result.

    In his minutes last season, Fowler was extremely effective on the offensive end. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last season and was ridiculously efficient. On the season, he shot 66.7% from the field, including 10-for-21 (47.6%) from 3-point land. It is Fowler’s ability to stretch the floor that makes him such a valuable part of Butler’s team.

    Floor spacing is incredibly important at all levels of basketball, and Fowler can work both in the paint and from beyond the arc. Even when he is not scoring, he will attract plenty of attention this season as he has to be defended no matter where he is on the offensive end. Also, he has spent the past two seasons practicing with one of the best stretch-fours in college basketball in Andrew Chrabascz. Chrabascz was an exceptional passer as well as a scorer in his time, and hopefully he was able to pass some of his tricks onto Fowler.

    At 6’10”, Fowler has very good size at the college level and should be able to create mismatches on the offensive end as well as alter shot attempts on the defensive end. This will be his first season playing major minutes in the Big East and although there will still be some learning experiences, this is the type of player who can be a major difference maker.

    Baldwin and Martin are definitely going to average in double figures this season, but Fowler might be able to join them. Fellow big man Tyler Wideman has never been seen as a scoring forward and that could mean Fowler receives a lot of the touches that Chrabascz received a season ago.

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    Fowler’s versatile offensive game makes him a dangerous threat on the floor and that should certainly help Butler this season. If he is able to continue his remarkable efficiency while also becoming a solid defender, then Butler basketball will be in great shape this season. Plenty of players break out during their junior season, and hopefully Fowler is another player that follows that trend.