JFB named PIT MVP

[Markusquette]

Could be two years in a row with a draftee. 

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

As I predicted long ago,  Jimmy is skyrocketing up draft boards.  DraftExpress now has him as the 9th pick in the 2nd round.  Look for his name to continue to climb elsewhere as he excels in workouts.  He is better than most of the prospects he is going to go against.....and should only be a JUNIOR.  He would be a very safe late 1st round pick....one of the most efficient offensive players in all of NCAA the last 2 years....able to guard multiple positions well.  Not to mention all of the other great things he does.  Great all around player.  He is a safer pick than Lazar was,  plus much more potential and 2 years younger than Lazar as a senior.

[Skatastrophy]

As I predicted long ago,  Jimmy is skyrocketing up draft boards.  DraftExpress now has him as the 9th pick in the 2nd round.  Look for his name to continue to climb elsewhere as he excels in workouts.  He is better than most of the prospects he is going to go against.....and should only be a JUNIOR.  He would be a very safe late 1st round pick....one of the most efficient offensive players in all of NCAA the last 2 years....able to guard multiple positions well.  Not to mention all of the other great things he does.  Great all around player.  He is a safer pick than Lazar was,  plus much more potential and 2 years younger than Lazar as a senior.

You may be right.  It'll be interesting to see how he does at the NBA draft combine.

[brewcity77]

As I predicted long ago,  Jimmy is skyrocketing up draft boards.  DraftExpress now has him as the 9th pick in the 2nd round.  Look for his name to continue to climb elsewhere as he excels in workouts.  He is better than most of the prospects he is going to go against.....and should only be a JUNIOR.  He would be a very safe late 1st round pick....one of the most efficient offensive players in all of NCAA the last 2 years....able to guard multiple positions well.  Not to mention all of the other great things he does.  Great all around player.  He is a safer pick than Lazar was,  plus much more potential and 2 years younger than Lazar as a senior.

Honestly, this is probably the best possible year for Jimmy to graduate. I think he'd have been drafted regardless, but look at this list of guys that have pledged to return for their sophomore seasons:

Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones

Those are five guys that would likely be drafted in the first round, four of them are top-10 type talents. That helps anyone who is throwing their name into the hat this year. With the NBA labor situation in limbo, my guess is we will see more guys decide to spend an extra year in school (possibly guys like Knight and Jones at UK), which could help Butler get into the first round.

The other thing it will do is make next year's NBA draft incredibly good. Add Barnes, Sullinger, and Jones to a solid group that already included Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, Quincy Miller, and Austin Rivers, along with the possibility of more marquee names taking a pass on this year's draft and you could see a lottery the likes of which hasn't been seen since 2003.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

You may be right.  It'll be interesting to see how he does at the NBA draft combine.

The PIT actually does all of the same measurements as they do in Chicago now, so the scouts will be able to judge the players there with the ones who go to Chicago.  A couple of posters here and on the other board have mentioned hearing Jimmy did incredibly well.  I hope the measurements get released,  but I am sure Jimmy will also test at Chicago and then we will definitely see the results.  He will get a boost if any of the following happen:

-Measures appreciably taller than 6'7" in shoes (Homer unofficially measured him at 6'7.75")
-Measures a big wingspan
-Tests among the best at his position in agility, sprint, and vertical.

All 3 of those could very well happen.  MU players have athletically tested very favorably.  Lazar KILLED it last year.  4 year players always test "better" because they have a year or two longer to practice the drills.  I think Jimmy is going to test close to what Lazar did which is going to start talk about 1st round projections.

[77ncaachamps]

No way does his wingspan improve...

But I can see JFB burn some agility tests. Any high scoring measurable will work in his favor.
He can then easily sneak into the first round like Zar did last year.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

Jimmy's measurements:
6'6.25" w/o shoes (should be listed at 6'8")
6'8" wingspan (below average)
31" no-step vertical (best SF last year was 32", Lazar had 31")
11.3 sprint (best SF last year was Lazar with 10.87, Jimmy's number would have been middle of the road)
3.31 lane agility (best SF last year was 3.14,  Jimmy's number is slightly below average. Exact same time as Lazar)

All in all pretty good numbers for Jimmy.  The height measurement will help him,  but the wingspan wipes that out.  His no-step vertical is nice,  hopefully he tests a good max vertical in Chicago.  Regardless,  GM's should be intrigued about a 6'8" guy that can play some SG.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

DraftExpress analysis on Jimmy:

Capping off a brilliant series of performances at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, Jimmy Butler scored 19 points in the championship game to help his team cruise to an easy victory, and win MVP honors in the process. The most consistent player throughout the course of the week, few players did as much for their stock as Butler was able to.

The Texas native is not a freak athlete, or the type of player you'll see on an ESPN highlight reel any time soon. He does not have the pedigree of a future NBA All-Star. His physical tools are fairly average, and he still needs to develop certain parts of his skill set, namely his shooting consistency from the beyond the arc, to maximize his value. However, when evaluating a player like Butler, who simply plays winning basketball, has terrific intangibles, and does all of the little things the help his team, it is important to look at what he can do before condemning him for he can't be.

Butler is a heady player who plays within a team concept. He defends, he makes the extra pass, he crashes the glass, he has a terrific tremendous basketball IQ, and his attitude is a coach's dream. A product of tireless reps in the gym and a detail oriented system, the senior has a very solid floor game, makes good decision with the ball, scraps on both ends, and maximizes the physical tools he does have.

Throughout the week, Butler flashed an improved midrange game, looking far more comfortable knocking down pull-up jumpers than he did last season. If that development is indicative of what we can expect his spot-up jump shot to look like by the end of the spring, Butler could emerge as a coveted role-player by the time the draft rolls around.

His athleticism won't allow him to create consistently one-on-one at the next level, but he's a functional ball-handler who can take what defenders give him. If he develops the ability to stretch the floor, there's no question that he'll be a nice addition to a team with a bench full of athletic scorers.

Butler may struggle with the athleticism of elite wings at the NBA level, but much like Lazar Hayward and Wesley Matthews before him, he's well versed in compensating for his limitations and takes pride in his play defensively.

Buzz Williams was in attendance at Portsmouth this week, and his mark on Butler's game is clear. Spending minutes in the post early in his career, Butler showed that he's comfortable out on the perimeter in the limited sample of games we were able to take in here. If his work ethic plays into his shooting ability from beyond the arc and it shows in workouts, Butler has the makings of a terrific rotation player. Take into account the fact that he is just 21 years old, and it is easy to see why he's caught the interest of NBA executives looking to help their team win more games.


From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/article/All-Portsmouth-Invitational-Tournament-First-Team-3674/#ixzz1JMMLdV7m
http://www.draftexpress.com