Butler Basketball: 2022-23 season preview for the Bulldogs
Who supplies the depth for the Bulldogs this season?
GUARDS
Jayden Taylor
Jayden Taylor had a season similar to Lukosius in terms of laying the groundwork for a breakout sophomore campaign. The Indianapolis native averaged 8.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists last year. He could also benefit from a more productive 3-point shot, especially coming off the bench that doesn’t present a real deep threat.
Myles Tate
Tate’s sophomore season was dominated by an ACL tear he suffered late in the 2021 season. The 6’0 guard from South Carolina averaged 6.7 points and 2.3 assists per game as a freshman and gelled well with Chuck Harris in the backcourt that year – and was one of the reasons Harris was better two seasons ago. He’ll come off the bench, but he’ll likely get the keys to the second unit. After playing just nine games last season, a fully healthy Tate is a welcome addition to the Butler rotation
Pierce Thomas
Thomas, another Indianapolis native, redshirted last season. The 6’5 wing is incredibly athletic and can jump out of the gym. The question for him in a redshirt freshman campaign is can he crack into the rotation? With Taylor and Tate presumably ahead of him on the depth chart, it might be another year of development for Thomas than anything else. But the unteachable athletic skills are certainly there.
FORWARDS
Myles Wilmoth
The forward depth for the Bulldogs is an area of concern heading into the season. After Ali and Lukosius in the starting lineup, the production drops off quickly. Wilmoth is a 6’9 junior that averaged 1.4 points per game in just eight minutes. The biggest improvement in Wilmoth’s game from a season ago is his improved 3-point shooting. In an albeit limited sample size, the New York native shot 35 percent from three, a 12-percentage-point increase from his freshman year. He should see more playing time in year three and bring added production with him.
DJ Hughes
Hughes is another depth piece with a strong body at 6’6, 230 pounds. He got limited run last season in just 7.7 minutes per game. Several different reports over the summer have alluded to Hughes’ improvement as a small ball five and Thad Matta has been open about the progress. As fun as Manny Bates will be to watch block shots, Hughes is the type of tough frontcourt player that has made a killing inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
BIGS
Jalen Thomas
Manny Bates was 18th in the country in block percentage the last time he played a full season, well Jalen Thomas has been in the top 89 each of his first three seasons in college. Last year he was 69th. As mentioned in the intro, Thomas will miss an indefinite amount of time due to a pulmonary embolism and is expected to make a full recovery. The early estimations from the program suggest a possible return sometime during Big East play, but obviously that’s not something you mess around with. If he does come back, he and Bates will be a fascinating 1-2 punch.
John-Michael Mulloy
Mulloy is a local high school stud that led his high school team to a title as a senior. It hasn’t really clicked at any point for JMM at Butler. In three seasons, he’s appeared in just 46 games for a total of 270 minutes. Any chance of JMM cracking into the consistent rotation came to an end when Matta hit the portal hard and came away with several big men.
Connor Turnbull
Connor Turnbull is a long, lanky 6’10 guy out of St. Paul, Missouri. His senior year numbers are impressive: 23.5 points, 12.7 rebounds on 39 percent shooting from deep on 78 attempts. And he blocked a ridiculous amount of shots. At just 215 pounds and 6’10, physical maturity is a focus point for Turnbull in his first season. And he’s got some guys to teach him how to block shots at the collegiate level.