Due to a combination of injuries, inconsistent play, and a lack of reliable players, the Washington Wizards have had to ask their players to perform a wide range of duties on the court this season. Through 38 games, Washington has employed 18 different starting lineups, and ten different Wizards have started at least one games.
Jared Butler is not part of of that group, but he is representative of the flexibility that Wizards’ players have showed this season. He has received nine DNPs, and played under five minutes six other times, while playing more than 14 minutes on 11 occasions, primarily when lead guards Jordan Poole or Malcolm Brogdon have been out.
Though much of his playing time has come in garbage time, Butler’s on/off splits are consistently among the team’s best.
During his most recent four-game stretch as a part of the rotation, the Baylor alum averaged nearly 19 points and over five assists on better than 55% shooting, all in barely more than 20 minutes per game. That run included a game against Philadelphia in on January 8th in which Butler became just the 47th player in league history to score 26 or more points in 20 or fewer minutes.
Butler’s impressive run did not necessarily win over the coaching staff: he played only seven minutes in Washington’s recent loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, despite Brogdon missing the game due to injury.
Despite his limited run, Butler was still productive and led the team in +/-. Though the 2021 NCAA champion’s role is far from guaranteed, the rest of the season could give him an opportunity to see the court more often.
The Wizards are widely expected to shop the 32-year old Brogdon at next month’s trade deadline, though his recent foot injury may dampen his market somewhat. But Brogdon is still a productive point guard with significant playoff experience, and on an expiring contract. Moving on from Brogdon could elevate Butler to the third true guard in the Wizards’ rotation.
Butler doesn’t perfectly fit the timeline of some of the Wizards’ youngest pieces, but at 24 he is young enough to be worth bringing back this summer if he flashes enough potential in the rest of the season. Butler has been more successful as an on-ball player, and his three-point rate has actually dropped this season as compared to his first three NBA campaigns.
It makes sense for Washington to want the ball to be in the hand of recent early round picks like Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly, so Butler will need to increase that volume if he wants to play more alongside Washington’s usual starters. But the efficiency is there: he is shooting 15-of-39 from downtown overall this season.
If Brogdon is shipped out of town, Butler can also run the offense for the second unit, which he can do adequately for a team that is not competing for anything this year. He is a confident playmaker, both for himself and others, and he is stronger than his 6’3’’, 194-pound frame would suggest.
Butler has made the most of limited opportunities so far this season, and there is a possibility than those chances in the second half of the season. He should get the opportunity to showcase his ability to either get another contract with Washington, or elsewhere this summer.