John Butler

Draft Notes

Butler had an impressive freshman season and has the attention of NBA scouts.

The way he moves around the court at 7-1 is beyond impressive. And the fact that he’s a dead-eye 3pt shooter as well only adds to the intrigue.

He’s very thin but agile and coordinated. Many 7-footers are clumbsy or slow but Butler is a fluid athlete who doesn’t look out of place in his frame.

He does a lot of nice things on defense, especially on the perimeter but doesn’t anchor a defense or guard very well in the post. His length is a major factor and alters a lot of shots but in the paint he can be bodied out of the way and isn’t really a center on D. He weighed in at a disappointing 179lbs at the draft combine.

His biggest appeal is his ability to float around the perimeter and stroke the 3-ball. For the season he shot almost 40% from 3pt land and his shot certainly looks nice. It seems like this area of his game will translate well to the NBA, even though he shot a terrible FT % (on only 25 attempts).

Comparisons

• his game reminds a little of Channing Frye but he’s longer and more of an athlete than Frye.

Draft Projection

possible first round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft or 2023 NBA Draft

2022 PF Rankings

1. Jabari Smith – 6-10 – Auburn
2. Paolo Banchero – 6-9 – Duke
3. Keegan Murray – 6-8 – Iowa
4. Jeremy Sochan – 6-9 – Baylor (England)
5. Nikola Jovic – 6-10 – Serbia
6. Jake LaRavia – 6-8 – Wake Forest
7. E.J. Liddell – 6-7 – Ohio State
8. Dominick Barlow – 6-9 – Overtime Elite
9. John Butler – 7-1 – Florida State
10. Moussa Diabate – 6-10 – Michigan (France)
11. Michael Foster – 6-8 – G League Ignite
12. Karlo Matkovic – 6-11 – Bosnia
13. Patrick Baldwin Jr. – 6-10 – Wisconsin Milwaukee 
14. David Roddy – 6-5 – Colorado State
15. Brady Manek – 6-9 – North Carolina
16. Isaiah Mobley – 6-10 – USC
17. Babacar Sane – 6-8 – Senegal
18. Makur Maker – 7-0 – Australia