Butler Basketball: Previewing Sean McDermott’s impact for 2019-20

On the defensive end…

Sean McDermott is not regarded as an elite-level defender but he holds his own on that end of the floor. He has relatively quick feet and consistently reads opponents well to take charges. With that said, though, he is not the strongest player on the court and can therefore be bullied in physical matchups from time to time. This was McDermott’s biggest defensive issue last season as he was consistently forced into covering power forwards due to Butler’s personnel.

This should be remedied in 2019-20 with the arrival of Bryce Nze, a 6-foot-7 transfer from Milwaukee who sat out last year. Nze is a physical presence in the lane with the ability to defend either frontcourt spot. Now that he is eligible, Nze should play a significant role at power forward as a potential starter. This will allow McDermott to slide down to defending his primary position on the wing and his defense should improve as a result.

Additionally, it is important to mention that McDermott is an above-average rebounder for his position. Although McDermott lacks the strength of other forwards, he has tremendous instincts when it comes to reading misses and often tracks down loose balls. He brings plenty of “glue guy” skills to the table but his hustle rebounding is perhaps the most valuable.

McDermott’s defense should be much better this season by virtue of Butler’s personnel additions. Nze will play the bulk of the power forward minutes for the team this season and returning junior Jordan Tucker should be more prepared to defend at a higher level as well. Butler’s defense was a huge weakness last year but their roster improvements will help the entire unit improve. Every Butler player will now be able to function at their primary position on both ends of the floor.