Kentucky's Lamont Butler solidified himself as 'the most important player in the country'

Kentucky started the season with a string of amazing results no one really expected. Currently, they are 10-1 in Mark Pope's tenure, with some impressive wins over the 11-game span. Pope managed to wake up the sleeping college giant, and he did it with nearly a whole new team, as many former players left the university with John Calipari.

Kentucky's resurgence under Mark Pope

Their sole loss this season was an upset against unranked Clemson. But their new winning streak started with the very next game against No. 7 Gonzaga, and what a win it was. Kentucky was without Lamont Butler and still managed to make a comeback and steal the game from the Bulldogs in overtime, 90-89. Their big win was a talking point during the recent After Dark podcast episode.

"I'll tell you the win that impressed me was beating Gonzaga without Butler," CJ Moore said on the podcast.

Lamont Butler's breakout season

"I think Lamont Butler might be their most important player I was looking up today they they score 1.31 points per possession with him on the floor," he continued. "He's awesome in transition, he takes away the other team's point guard, he's their best defender, I think Lamont Butler is their most important player. So the fact that they beat Gonzaga without that dude, that win really impressed me. I don't know if they're quite on the tier of some of these top teams, but they're pretty dang good.

Butler is a fifth-year player who transferred to Kentucky this season after spending four years at San Diego State. His numbers during his time with the Aztecs weren't awe-inspiring, but he finally had his breakout year after joining the Wildcats. He missed two games this season but showed impeccable efficiency in the nine games he played. He scores 15.1 points per game, gets 3.1 rebounds, and dishes 4.1 assists per contest. All while shooting 60.8% from the field and 48.1% from the deep - all career highs.

Mark Pope made a perfect machine and made Kentucky look like the Detroit Pistons in 2004 when they didn't have a clear superstar on the team, but it looked like a five-man match made in heaven. What Chauncey Billups was for that team is Lamont Butler for Pope's Wildcats.