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Butler Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Bulldogs

By Jerran Anderson

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 09: The Butler Bulldogs logo on the floor before a college basketball game against the St. John's Red Storm at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 9, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 09: The Butler Bulldogs logo on the floor before a college basketball game against the St. John's Red Storm at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 9, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Butler Basketball guard Chuck Harris Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
Butler Basketball guard Chuck Harris Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports /

Projected starting lineup

Point Guard – Aaron Thompson, Senior

Aaron Thompson returns after a shoulder injury forced him to miss 11 of the team’s 25 games in 2020-21. He put up 10.4 ppg, a team-high 4.7 apg, 2.5 rpg and 1.1 spg across 14 appearances (14 starts) before going down towards the end of February with an injury. His loss dealt a huge blow to the playmaking ability of Butler basketball.

He’s sixth all-time on the Bulldogs career assists list and looks to climb even more with tons of playmakers on the floor to work with. Look for him to put up career numbers as a distributor in his final year of eligibility.

Guard – Chuck Harris, Soph.

Chuck Harris returns looking to produce even more than he did in his freshman year, leading the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg along with 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.0 spg across 24 appearances (14 starts). While he started sporadically at the beginning of the year, he finished the team’s final five contests of the season in the starting lineup.

Harris was the first freshman player since 1979-80 to lead the team in scoring (12.9 ppg) and a first-team All-Freshman selection this past season looking to pick up where he left off. He shot 40.3 percent from behind the arc and is also quite the pest on the defensive end.

Guard/Wing – Jair Bolden, Grad. Student

Jair Bolden makes his return to the Butler basketball starting rotation looking to give them shooting and a veteran presence on the wing. Bolden put up 10.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg this past season while appearing in all 25 games (24 starts).

He shot 34.1 percent from behind the arc while knocking down a team-high 2.4 3-pointers per contest in the backcourt. The 6-foot-3 will look to add another guard in the rotation that’s a capable scorer and creator in space.

Forward – Bryce Nze, Grad. Student

Bryce Nze is one of “The Bryces” set to make their impact in the Bulldogs rotation. Nze returns as the team’s second-leading scorer (11.4 ppg) and leading rebounder (7.7 rpg) at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds. He’s a veteran frontcourt presence with a ton of promise as Butler basketball looks to return to the top of the conference.

He’s capable of operating inside and out after shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 44.2 percent (19-of-43) from behind the arc in 2020-21. As he continues to develop his outside shot, look for his production to improve from the 3-point line.

Forward/Center – Bryce Golden, Senior

Bryce Golden is the other part of “The Bryces” in the Butler basketball rotation set to be a 1-2 punch in the frontcourt in 2021-22. His production continues to improve as he posted 10.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg on 47.3 percent shooting from the field.

The 6-foot-9 big man is much more of a rim presence, but he continues to fill his role with relative success. He’ll look to be more of a defensive presence this season as the anchor of the group in the post.