Butler Basketball: Dawgs land graduate transfer Jair Bolden

Butler basketball entered the offseason in search of a newcomer to the wing. The Dawgs found a strong solution in South Carolina grad transfer Jair Bolden.

Butler basketball was in dire need of adding an immediately eligible perimeter threat for this coming season following the departures of Kamar Baldwin and Sean McDermott (among others). This was an obvious priority on paper and the coaching staff followed through by landing South Carolina graduate transfer Jair Bolden. He is a proven sniper from behind the arc that can provide instant minutes in the backcourt for his final year of eligibility.

Although he only spent one season with the Gamecocks (he previously played his first two years with George Washington), it was an impactful one. He started in 15 of 30 total contests with the team and made his mark with strong perimeter shooting.

Over the course of the campaign, Bolden averaged 8.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. Most notably, he shot 41.2 percent from 3-point range on 114 total attempts for the year.

Looking ahead to his fit with Butler, it seems likely that he will fill a similar role as a catch-and-shoot sniper capable of putting the ball on the floor as well. With Butler losing the vast majority of its 3-point shooting this offseason, Bolden seems to be an excellent fit. In order for returning starting point guard Aaron Thompson to be at his best, there needs to be quality spacing on the floor and that is what Bolden can bring to the lineup.

With a well-built 6-foot-3 frame, Bolden brings enough size to thrive at the shooting guard slot. He can be a physical defender, although this is not his strength, and can take the ball to the basket on occasion as well. He is not a great playmaker but can initiate sets from time to time with solid ball-handling skills. He mostly finishes off plays with his shooting and that is exactly what the Dawgs will need alongside Thompson’s high-level creating.

Additionally, Bolden will bring more experience to the roster as well. Butler was already returning three upperclassmen starters and Bolden has played his fair share of collegiate ball as well. Over the course of his three combined seasons with GW and South Carolina, Bolden has competed in 97 total games – 55 starts. That level of experience on the court will be incredibly valuable for a program that is also bringing in five true freshmen for the 2020-21 season.

While Bolden is two years removed from taking the court with George Washington, this is also Butler’s third recent transfer addition that had previously played with that program. Kethan Savage and Paul Jorgensen both also made the jump from GW to Butler and were quite successful with that move. It will be interesting to see if Bolden will be able to maintain that trend of impactful transfer additions.

It might not be reasonable to expect Bolden to step in and immediately emerge as a top scoring option for Butler next season. The fact of the matter is that the Dawgs definitely needed to add a perimeter shooting threat and that is exactly what he is able to bring to the table.

Butler will have plenty of youth on the roster next season, but also plenty of experience. The Dawgs have several strong returning pieces and could also see a breakout season from one of their returners or incoming highly-touted freshmen. If that turns out to be the case, this might be yet another season in which Butler exceeds preseason expectations.

Jair Bolden might not have been the top-rated immediately eligible transfer this offseason but he is a proven scoring threat at the high-major level. His reliable shooting stroke and solid (albeit inconsistent) defensive ability at 6-foot-3 make him a really strong and underrated addition to Butler’s backcourt for his final season of eligibility.