Lamont Butler‘s impressive defensive skills go back to his AAU days when he was in grade school. As Butler tells it, one of his head coaches, the late Andre Spencer, instilled the importance of defense in him from an early age while growing up out in California.

Do you want to play? Then play defense.

“We used to play fullcourt man-to-man and (Spencer) used to say, ‘If your man scores, you’re coming out. If your man catches the ball, you’re coming out. If your guy gets by you, you’re coming out.’” Butler told reporters on Monday. “I never wanted to come out, so I just continued to play hard defensively and I started to learn to love it. It became my calling card. I’m just good at it now.”

We saw Butler’s love for defense in action last week during Kentucky’s first exhibition. The fifth-year transfer guard from San Diego State (where he won back-to-back Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year awards) recorded six steals in the Wildcats’ 123-52 win over Kentucky Wesleyan. Butler was up in the jersey of his opponent from the moment they crossed halfcourt and hounded them relentlessly until they had no other option but to pass the ball off. Head coach Mark Pope joked that people need to hide their wallets around Butler because he’ll steal it.

“(The coaches) give me the freedom to go out there and cause havoc defensively,” Butler said. “I just go out there and try to disrupt, make it hard for the opposing team. It came in six steals that night, but one night it might be one steal but holding somebody to a low number.”

Butler will be tasked with defending the best offensive guard on the opposing team every single game this season. It’s a challenge he feels more than up to though. His new teammate, Andrew Carr, saw him thrive on that end of the floor all summer in practice. Carr says that Butler even uses a “science” with his defensive approach, which focuses on how someone is dribbling the ball. More goes into being a good defender than just being quick on your feet.

“He’s the dog. He’s an amazing defender,” Carr said Tuesday. “It’s not just physical ability, it’s mental and he’s able to read someone on the ball, off the ball. He’s the best defender on ball that I’ve ever seen for sure. He just does a great job of impacting what the other team is trying to do.”

Kentucky will likely lean on Butler’s defense heavily throughout the season. His ability to generate steals and kickstart fastbreaks will translate to wins. Making the other team uncomfortable at all times will be key. The Wildcats don’t expect to be some defensive juggernaut, so any extra juice Butler brings is an advantage. As someone who openly admits he’s the best defensive player in the country, it shouldn’t be an issue.