It’s easy to forget now considering how it went up in flames, but the mid-2000s Wizards under then-head coach Eddie Jordan had some fairly prolific offensive seasons. Between 2005-2008 — a stretch where the team made the playoffs four consecutive seasons — the Wizards ranked in the top-10 in offensive rating, ranking as high as fourth.
While many people know that Gilbert Arenas was the No. 1 option on those teams, swingman Caron Butler played a significant role in their success as well.
Butler joined the Wizards prior to the 2005-06 season via a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. Shortly after that, he inked a five-year, $46 million pact with the club. It didn’t take long for Butler to prove he was worth that investment, as he averaged 17.6 points per game with a .455/.342/.870 shooting line.
Although Butler was arguably the least important member of Washington’s newly formed “Big 3” that year — Washington only scored 1.6 more points per 100 possessions when Butler was on the floor compared to when he was off — his contributions helped Washington improve its offensive rating by 2.1 points that year.
Butler would increase his scoring output over the next three seasons, averaging 19.1 points per game in 2006-07, 20.3 in 2007-08 and 20.8 in 2008-09. His value to the team also increased during that time, as the team’s net rating improved dramatically when he was on the floor (this wasn’t the case in 2008-09, but the entire team stunk by then).
Between him, Antawn Jamison and Arenas, Butler was clearly the third wheel of that scoring trio. However, he was vital to the team as a solid defender and as a consistent third option on offense.