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Butler Basketball: Sean McDermott poised for a breakout season

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs reacts in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during semifinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs reacts in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during semifinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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With the graduation of star senior Kelan Martin, Butler basketball needs someone to step up. Junior wing Sean McDermott could easily be that guy.

It is no secret that Butler basketball has a major hole to fill in the rotation this offseason. Kelan Martin was one of the best to ever don the Bulldogs’ uniform, especially as a scorer, and his contributions will not be easy to replace. Over the years, though, Butler has consistently found ways to make up for stars lost to graduation or the NBA. While a committee of players may be necessary to help recover from this loss, the most important piece of the puzzle for the Dawgs in 2018-19 will be junior wing Sean McDermott.

When looking at solely statistics, McDermott does not jump off of the page. In 23.8 minutes, he averaged 7.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season while starting 14 of the 31 games that he played. While he did miss four games due to injury in non-conference play, this did not seem to affect him too much when he returned.

But what really jumps out about McDermott is his ability to make all of the little plays. He has above-average size to play on the wing (6’6″) and seems to always be in the right place at the right time. He is excellent at skying for rebounds or put-backs on the offensive end, plays that either helps reset the offense or ignite everyone on the floor. Against Georgetown in the Big East opener, McDermott’s hustle on the glass forced the overtime that allowed the Bulldogs to win.

Even when he is not scoring, McDermott seems to have an impact on every game. In addition to big man Tyler Wideman, he was one of the key “glue guys” on last year’s team. Heading into 2018-19, this role will have to change. Out of the returning players to the rotation, only now-junior Kamar Baldwin and now-senior Paul Jorgensen averaged more points per game last season.

Both of these players will likely be starting on the wings this season with McD playing the role of a small-ball power forward. Due to his ability to rebound and defend some bigs, there is no reason to believe that McDermott will struggle when having to play up a position. Butler has traditionally had success with 6’6″-6’8″ players spending time at power forward so this is not uncharted territory for the program.

There is also reason to believe that McDermott is in for a breakout offensive season. Despite low overall statistics, it is hard to ignore McD’s efficiency on the court. According to KenPom, he ranked 24th in the nation last season in offensive rating while shooting extremely well from the floor. There are not many players in the country who could match shooting splits (2P%/3P%/FT%) of this efficiency: 67.9/43.1/81.8. Considering his shooting volume should increase next season, these percentages will see a dip but even then he should be fairly efficient.

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    • In addition, the idea of a 4-out-1-in motion offense with three elite shooters has to be enticing for head coach LaVall Jordan. This would allow sophomore Aaron Thompson to be a facilitator for the shooters (Baldwin, Jorgensen, McDermott) with Nate Fowler roaming the paint and stretching the floor. This could be a deadly lineup with the ability to probe the inside and kick out for 3-pointers. Furthermore, having Baldwin on the floor means that at least one player can attack the basket and finish through traffic if necessary. And if somebody ends up getting into foul trouble, fans saw how valuable a bench player like Henry Baddley can be when necessary.

    Lastly, McDermott’s leadership is an underrated quality. He understands the game and is vocal on both ends of the floor. This is something that not only helps his teammates on the floor but also the youngsters on the roster. Butler is incredibly deep (and young) on the wings and having a powerful voice such as McDermott is important. Underclassmen Jordan Tucker, Christian David, Markeese Hastings, Bryce Golden, and Jerald Gillens-Butler can all learn from McD and grow as players throughout this upcoming season.

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    Butler basketball will have a tough time replacing Kelan Martin. Yet, with Sean McDermott in the starting lineup, the Bulldogs still have an upperclassman leader and highly-efficient scorer filling out the power forward position. Despite losing valuable players to graduation, Butler should come back next season even better than they were in 2017-18. Considering this upcoming season is expected to be a down one for the Big East, finishing as high as second-place in the league wouldn’t be a huge surprise.