Jordan Butler will initially be transferred from PowerMizzou.com, according to multiple reports. Butler entering the transfer portal may seem like the first surprise. Butler joined Jesus Carrarello, Kurt Lewis and John Tonge in the portal on last season's roster.
Losing a player from a team and roster that led to an 8-24 record isn't something to cry about. These days, the portal allows you to swap rosters as much as possible. But Butler was different in that he was part of Dennis Gates' first full recruiting class and looked like he could be a building block on the roster as it transitions further into what Gates said he wanted to be.
Butler averaged only 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11 minutes per game, and although his shooting never improved, his defense became more reliable as the season progressed. Additionally, persistence is a good indicator of success, as detailed here.
For Butler, it seemed like he took some time to process what he wanted to do. Columbia still has playing time left in the No. 5 slot next season, and Butler's role increased as the season progressed this year. He has started 13 of the last 14 games and logged double-digit minutes in all but two of those games.
Without Butler, there will only be more questions at No. 5. Dennis Gates was unable to resolve this question during his tenure at Mizzou. From Jamarion Sharpe to Kadin Shedrick to losing Butler after striking out in the portal so far, there are more questions than answers. Freshman Peyton Marshall looks ready to contribute early, but he's still not a player you want to play more than 15-20 minutes per game. Even on a small scale with Mark Mitchell, Aidan Shaw or Trent Pearce. But the reality is that additions will likely need to be added via the transfer portal.
There are still plenty of great options, but not so many solid Firestarter Fives. This is Matt Watkins' list of potential targets on the RockM.plus forum. For now, I think we'll keep an eye on Kaseen Pryor and Essam Mostafa. But more targets may emerge soon.
In the meantime, we wish Jordan Butler the best of luck. I'm not sure Butler showed flashes of pro-level potential in his first year, but the toolkit was one worth working on. We hope he can fulfill his potential in his next destination.