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Butler Basketball: Keys to success against New Orleans in 2019-20

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 02: Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs dribbles the ball against Saddiq Bey #15 of the Villanova Wildcats in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on March 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 02: Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs dribbles the ball against Saddiq Bey #15 of the Villanova Wildcats in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on March 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 02: Baldwin of the Bulldogs drives. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 02: Baldwin of the Bulldogs drives. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

1. Health.

Butler was exceptional as a team in its win over IUPUI but was essentially forced to play a six-man rotation, including two true freshmen, for the majority of the game. Looking ahead to this matchup with New Orleans, only one of the seven players who missed most of the season-opener is a lock to return to the rotation. That would be Jordan Tucker, who was suspended for that contest due to competing “in an NCAA-certified summer league event, but the competition site was outside the NCAA-allowed mileage radius.”

Aside from him, I would expect that Christian David and Henry Baddley will the most-likely pieces to return to action on Saturday. They are both recovering from illness, though, and will likely not be at 100% even if they do take the court. Derrik Smits is currently regarded as day-to-day and could see the court but the Dawgs should be just fine with the trio of bigs that played against IUPUI.

Kamar Baldwin‘s health, though, is a major concern moving forward. The senior star only played five minutes in the season-opener due to suffering an injury. While it appeared as though he would have been ready to re-enter the game if it had been necessary, it was clear that KB was very uncomfortable. He is such an integral part of the team and losing him for any significant period of time could be a killer. Baldwin returning in time for Saturday would be awesome, but it might be prudent to give him some extra rest considering this is the last “tune-up” game before Butler’s daunting non-conference schedule truly begins.

Butler will likely still be shorthanded this weekend but the expected returns of Tucker, David, and Baddley greatly improve the team’s depth, even if the latter two are not at full health. Both Tucker and David are potential starters this season while Baddley is an experienced senior reserve. Adding three proven pieces back to the rotation, especially two as positionally-versatile as Tucker and David, would significantly help the team even if the others remain out.

If Baldwin is forced to sit against New Orleans, it will be interesting to see how Coach Jordan manages Aaron Thompson. The junior point guard played all 40 minutes against IUPUI and he will hopefully receive some rest with others returning to action for Saturday.

Personally, I would love to see Jordan Tucker take on some playmaking responsibility in minutes without AT. Tucker is a capable ball-handler and exhibits plenty of passing vision even if he is normally regarded as a scorer. The 6-foot-7 junior disappointed with his play in Butler’s exhibitions as it appeared as though he simply did not fit in the team’s scheme for this season.

Yet, he might grow a lot more comfortable by being afforded the opportunity to be a focal point of the offense without needing to force shots to stay involved. Additionally, Coach Jordan showing trust in his talented junior to lead the offense and create for others, even in a short stint, could pay dividends for Tucker’s confidence and fit in the rotation. That could prove to be essential as the season progresses as Tucker’s ceiling as a player is higher than most on the roster.

Regardless, Butler needs to regain its health across the board, especially with regards to Baldwin. That is the biggest key for the team for the rest of the year considering how shorthanded they were in the season-opener.