2008-09 Season in Review: Rasual Butler
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com

June 18, 2009

Hornets.com continues its look back at the 2008-09 season with player-by-player analysis of the team:


What we expected: Butler entered 2008-09 with an uncertain future, coming off the worst and most frustrating season of his professional career. In 2007-08, he drifted so far out of Byron Scott’s rotation that he did not appear in a game after March 3, as essentially the 13th or 14th man. In a best-case scenario, it appeared possible that Butler would be able to regain a role in the rotation as a backup at the shooting guard/small forward positions, but even that was no certainty when training camp commenced in September 2008.

What happened: Butler reported to camp in excellent physical condition and almost immediately emerged as the team’s most improved player. After a solid start to the regular season by Butler and a knee injury to Morris Peterson in November, Butler was promoted into the starting lineup by Byron Scott for the Hornets’ 10th game of the regular season. The La Salle product never left the first unit over the remaining 72 games of the campaign. Unlike his previous three seasons with the Hornets, when he was prone to one- or two-week stretches of inconsistency and shooting droughts, Butler maintained a similar level of performance all season. He also authored many of the team’s most timely and clutch baskets of the season, capped by a game-winning three-pointer at Sacramento on March 31 at the buzzer. A week later, he sank an improbable 28-footer from near the right sideline to send a game at Miami into overtime; New Orleans eventually prevailed over the Heat. Overall, the 6-foot-7 swingman developed into one of the most positive stories of the entire Hornets season, going from seldom used to a reliable starter.

Best game: There were at least a handful of excellent options here, but let’s go with Butler’s 19-point game at Denver on Thanksgiving. There were other games in which Butler scored more points or came through with more critical hoops, but the Nov. 27 win went a long way to cementing him as a starter. In his sixth start of the season, Butler was an ultra-efficient 7-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-5 from three-point range. He played at least 20 minutes in every Hornets game for the rest of the season, with the exception of Jan. 28 vs. Denver.

The future: Butler has one year remaining on his contract. He signed a four-year contract in the summer of 2006, prior to the team’s final season in Oklahoma City. He enters 2009-10 as the incumbent starting shooting guard. Last season, he was able to wrest away the role from Peterson. There will be several other Hornets under contract also vying for additional playing time at the 2 and 3 positions, including Julian Wright and Devin Brown.