Khyle Marshall is a two year starter for Butler, and as a freshman he made significant contributions off the bench in Butler's national championship run in 2011. While inconsistent at times, he has earned to the right to start as an undersized power forward. For the first time since the 2009-10 season, Butler will not be starting a traditional center as Andrew Smith has been a starter for the last three years. Three players have a legitimate chance of starting at the other forward spot, and all bring different strengths to the court. I am going to look at why these three players should or should not be starting.
Kameron Woods: Woods is the tallest player on Butler's 2013-14 season at 6'9, but he is quite slender for his size and there are questions concerning his ability to defend Big East centers. However, what Woods lacks in strength he makes up for in wingspan and athleticism. Last season, he was Butler's third leading rebounder at nearly five rebounds per game in only 17 minutes per game. Offensively, his game developed well towards the end of last season, and he possesses many of the abilities that Marshall does: mid-range jump shot, athleticism, ability to finish alley oops. Maybe that could be an argument against starting both Woods and Marshall because they have similar abilities. While I am not so sure that Woods will start, he should come off the bench and play more than 20 minutes per game while sharing the floor with Marshall for a few minutes here and there.
Erik Fromm: Erik Fromm is your traditional pick and pop big man, with the ability to hit three point shots as well as mid range jump shots. He is not the rebounder that Woods is, but that is partly because he only played about 11 minutes per game. Last season, Fromm grabbed a rebound every 4.45 minutes and Woods grabbed a rebound every 3.48 minutes. Fromm has more strength to guard big men but he still won't be able to defend as well as Andrew Smith did. I cannot emphasize how much Smith will be missed; Smith might even be missed more than Rotnei Clarke. Starting Fromm would space the floor and give Butler a second three point shooter in the lineup alongside Kellen Dunham, but still has limitations on both ends of the floor.
Nolan Berry: I have already heard comparisons of Nolan Berry to Matt Howard. While Berry may have the offensive skill level of Matt Howard, he weighs only 190 pounds, so I don't like his chances of starting as a freshman in the Big East. He might become an option to start if Fromm or Woods is unable to replace Andrew Smith's offensive production. Still, I think he has a lot to learn and a lot of strength to add before he sees major minutes in a Butler uniform.
Stay tuned for more Butler lineup discussion (specifically the point guard position) in the coming weeks!
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