His scoring average fell to 9.2 points game for the season, but Miami's balanced offense led by Wade, Odom and Eddie Jones propelled Miami into the playoffs. In the 2003–2004 season, however, Butler struggled with injuries that hampered him throughout the season, and he would go on to start in just 56 of 68 games. Miami would again enter the draft lottery, and this time drafted Dwyane Wade before acquiring Lamar Odom from the Los Angeles Clippers.
By season's end, Butler would also be named to the first team on the NBA All-Rookie Team. Despite Miami winning just 25 games and missing the playoffs, Butler proved to be a notable rookie, winning the rookie of the month awards four times during the season while also getting selected to play in the rookie challenge game at that year's All-Star weekend in Atlanta.
Miami would rely on Butler immediately despite being a rookie, and he would start in all 78 games he played in during the season, averaging 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and finished 8th in the league in steals with 1.8 per game. After the season ended, Butler declared for the NBA draft.īutler was a lottery pick in the 2002 NBA draft, selected with the 10th overall pick by the rebuilding Miami Heat. Despite 32 points from Butler, the Huskies lost a close game to the eventual national champion Maryland Terrapins. Butler led the Huskies to the Elite 8 of the NCAA basketball tournament. He was named co-Big East player of the year (along with Pittsburgh's Brandin Knight) and a second-team All-American. Butler averaged 20.3 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore leading the Huskies to both regular season and tournament Big East titles.
The summer after his freshman season he started for the US team that took home gold in the 2001 FIBA World Championship for Young Men.īutler followed his spectacular rookie campaign with an even better sophomore season. As a freshman, Butler led the Huskies, only two years removed from a national championship, in both scoring and rebounding with 15.6 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game respectively. At Connecticut, Butler lost 15 pounds (6.8 kg) off his frame and developed his perimeter game.
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