Butler Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Bulldogs

Projected Starting Lineup

Point Guard: Posh Alexander

Posh Alexander is arguably Butler’s most important transfer and will bring many positives both on and off the floor. Despite this year being his first with Butler, Alexander has spent the last three seasons playing in the Big East at St. John’s. During his time with St. John’s, Alexander proved to be one of the premier defenders within the conference, having averaged over two steals per game in all three of his collegiate seasons. Alexander averaged 10.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, while shooting 40% from the field last season. Perimeter defense was among Butler’s biggest strengths last season and the addition of Alexander will certainly allow the Dawgs to retain that strength.

Shooting Guard: DJ Davis

Of Butler’s incoming transfers, DJ Davis may be the most exciting of them all. Davis has shot 40% from beyond the arc in his last two seasons with UC Irvine. Last season saw Davis score 15.2 ppg along with a 40.2% mark from the three-point line. Last season, Butler often struggled with consistency on the offensive side of the ball, including from beyond the arc, and the addition of Davis will be a huge step in solving that issue. Should Davis’ success from beyond the arc transition to Big East play, Davis could find himself among the top shooters in the entire Big East.

Small Forward/Wing: Jahmyl Telfort

Senior Jahmyl Telfort will bring some much needed size and physicality to the Butler starting five. Telfort is coming off an impressive Junior year at Northeastern that saw a final stat line of 16.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 2.2 apg along with an overall field goal percentage 44.9%. Despite shooting 32.1% from beyond the three point line, Telfort shot an impressive 51.8% from inside the arc. Standing at 6’7, Telfort can play almost anywhere on the floor whether in the post or beyond the arc.

The biggest question mark surrounding Telfort is whether this efficient scoring output will be able to transition to the higher level of play seen in the Big East. Should it transition to the Big East, Telfort’s scoring abilities will certainly be a key to solving the Bulldogs’ aforementioned offensive struggles.

Forward: Pierre Brooks

Coming out of high school, Pierre Brooks was rated as a four-star recruit and was widely regarded as a top 75 recruit nationally. However, things didn’t quite pan out for Brooks at Michigan State, and he now has a chance to get his collegiate career back on path with the Bulldogs. Last season, Brooks only averaged 3.6 ppg in a limited role with the Spartans. But a change in scenery and a larger role will give Brooks to opportunity to prove his potential as a player. It is possible that Butler opts to have Landon Moore in the starting lineup in place of Brooks, however those are questions that are yet to be answered.

Center: Jalen Thomas

Fifth year senior Jalen Thomas is the only member of Butler’s projected starting five that was with the team last season. Thomas spent his first three collegiate seasons at Georgia State before

transferring to Butler last year. Thomas largely served as the sixth man for the Bulldogs last season, but he did start in 13 games. In his 21 minutes per game, Thomas averaged 7.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and one block per game while shooting exactly 50% from the field. But thanks to the significant roster changes Butler saw in the offseason, Thomas looks set to be the starting Center with a larger role compared to last season. Thomas looks to be a solid all-around big man for the Dawgs this season who should bring plenty of stability in the paint.