Mark Pope is going to have to replace a lot of great players from the Wildcats 2024-25 roster, but one player that will be the toughest to replace is Lamont Butler. Butler was one of the best on-ball defenders in all of college basketball and had the best offensive season of his career this year in Lexington.

If you asked Mark Pope to write a book on Lamont Butler, you’d better be prepared for 500 pages of nothing but kind words and plenty of hyperbole. There’s often a unique bond between head coach and point guard — one that’s slightly different than what a coach shares with the rest of the roster.

Lamont Butler battled through multiple injuries Sunday to help Kentucky reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 and in Mark Pope's first season as coach.