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Butler Basketball: Previewing Bryce Nze’s impact for 2019-20

By Lukas Harkins

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 14: The Butler Bulldogs mascot walks on the court in the game against Purdue Boilermakers during the 2013 Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 14, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 14: The Butler Bulldogs mascot walks on the court in the game against Purdue Boilermakers during the 2013 Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 14, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Coach Jordan of the Bulldogs looks on. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Coach Jordan of the Bulldogs looks on. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

On the defensive end…

This is where Bryce Nze will make his most notable impact on the team. Although he is certainly a solid fit for the team offensively, Nze’s glass-cleaning and rim-protecting on this end are what will make him such a major upgrade over the departing frontcourt pieces. While Fowler and Brunk both exhibited poor rebound and block rates over their careers, Nze absolutely excelled in both categories during his first two seasons at Milwaukee. Additionally, these are two skills that generally translate well for transfers even though there are stronger and more polished forwards at the Big East level compared to the Horizon.

Starting with rim-protection, Butler was absolutely abysmal last season. Although block rate is not the be-all-end-all of interior defensive stats, it is eye-opening that Butler finished 328th (out of 353) in the country last season in that field. The eye test also backs up that same conclusion that interior defense was a major weakness for the team. Adding 7-foot-1 Derrik Smits to the center position will certainly help in this regard but so will Bryce Nze, who was one of the nation’s most underrated shot-blockers while at Milwaukee. To make this simple, let me put it this way: Butler, as a team, exhibited a 5.7% block rate last year. During Nze’s sophomore season (nearly 30 mpg), he posted a 5.6% block rate…by himself. 

Additionally, Nze’s defensive rebounding is also outstanding. This can partially be attributed to playing at the mid-major level but he simply has a nose for the ball. Nze is quite physical underneath, is smart with gaining a positioning advantage, and reads misses very well. He posted a 22.5% defensive rebounding rate in 2017-18. For reference, Joey Brunk (14.5%) and Nate Fowler (12.5%) were both sub-par big men in this statistic. Combine the efforts of Jordan Tucker (21.4%), Smits (20.6%), and Nze next season and Butler should be a vastly improved defensive rebounding team.