Busting Brackets
Fansided

Butler Basketball: Previewing grad transfer Derrik Smits in 2019-20

By Lukas Harkins

LEXINGTON, KY - MARCH 21: Butler Blue III, mascot for the Butler Bulldogs, performs in the second half against the Bucknell Bison during the second round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rupp Arena on March 21, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. Butler won 68-56. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - MARCH 21: Butler Blue III, mascot for the Butler Bulldogs, performs in the second half against the Bucknell Bison during the second round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rupp Arena on March 21, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. Butler won 68-56. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Coach Jordan of the Bulldogs reacts. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Coach Jordan of the Bulldogs reacts. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

On the offensive end…

Derrik Smits is not an incredibly versatile offensive talent. He does not stretch the floor to 3-point range, rarely takes his matchup off the dribble, and posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.4 last season. With that said, though, he can still be a very valuable piece to the puzzle for Butler.  The Dawgs will need a post scorer to balance out their perimeter attack and Smits can do just that. At 7-foot-2 with nice footwork and touch around the rim, Smits is a viable post scoring option and that should fill an immediate need for the Dawgs.

As one of the top scoring options for Valparaiso last season, Smits performed relatively well. While shooting nearly 60% from the field, the 7-foot-2 big man averaged 12.2 points and also secured a pair of offensive rebounds per game. He was simply a solid contributor for the Crusaders and was even more effective in their biggest games of the year. In three contests against high-major competition last season, Smits averaged 17.0 points while shooting 22-for-35 (62.9%) from the field. He should not experience any major trouble with the leap from the MVC to the Big East, at least not with regards to his individual offensive matchup.

Smits is not likely to be a major upgrade over Brunk/Fowler on the offensive end this season, but he should be far more consistent. He is a proven college center that is rock-solid in his ability to win matchups in the paint. That much was evident last year as Smits posted double-digit scoring performances in 22 of Valpo’s 32 total outings. Butler will not ask him to be one of their top scorers this season (Kamar Baldwin and Jordan Tucker should hold those spots down), but Smits should receive his fair share of post touches. Considering his success against high-major bigs last year, admittedly in a small sample size, Smits should be just fine.