Jared Butler, the pre-season revelation rookie | NBA

And if he was the “steal” of this 2021 Draft? Selected in the second round of the Draft, Jared Butler is quite simply one of the best rookies of this preseason, and he already has his place in the rotation of Jazz.

But why was he selected so low when he is NCAA champion and best player of the last Final Four as leader of Baylor? Mainly because his early career was marked by heart problems detected in 2018 when he was playing in Alabama. Then transferred to Baylor, he played there three seasons, with the key winning the title last April.

But when testing before the Draft, he had to pass through the hands of several doctors and experts to prove that his heart problems did not prevent him from playing the sport at the highest level. A setback that cooled NBA franchises already worried about the state of his knees, but the Jazz took the opportunity to choose him in 40th position.

And in Utah, we do not regret it as Jared Butler has a series of good performances in this preseason, establishing himself as a solid rotation behind Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley. It is a “combo guard”, capable of playing 1 or 2 with the same efficiency. And in the preseason, he turns 18 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 interception on average. He is quite simply the best scorer among the rookies.

Game intelligence, mastery and nerve

“I think it’s just a matter of trust” he explains. “If I was the coach of a team that finished with the best record of the season, why would I need to bring in a rookie? That’s how I approach the situation, and I’m just trying to give a reason for doing it. I try to be of service as best as possible. “

Older than the current rookie average, Jared Butler impresses with his game intelligence, and he makes up for his lack of size and power with the quality of his movements, his reading of the game and his arm. He’s a very good shooter, and in Utah we have the systems to take advantage of that.

“Being aware of the balance to be found is, I think, the most important with him” témoigne Donovan Mitchell. “We saw in this series of four matches that he was able to understand things very quickly, and to adapt. He will have to learn, there will be ups and downs, but we have to keep this cool. “

From this preseason, we will notably remember his match against the Bucks with 22 pts and 7 wt, and important baskets in the last quarter. We saw him challenge Khris Middleton then Giannis Antetokounmpo, but also leave George Hill behind to go dunker with both hands.

« We throw you in the water among the sharks, and we see if you are a shark or not ” Jared Butler answers about this meeting against the NBA champions. Facing him that night, Jrue Holiday, one of the best defenders at his post. “He came to see me, and said, ‘Oh, but you can dribble! “.

Jazz’s top scorer and setter in preseason, Jared Butler is “NBA Ready” and should be perfect as a 4th rotation behind the Conley-Mitchell-Clarkson trio.