Jared Butler's progression revealed in show-out performance against Clippers


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SALT LAKE CITY — There was a boyish grin on Jared Butler's face as he reminisced on last spring.

How could there not be? After all, he danced in confetti as he celebrated a national championship and a Final Four most outstanding player award.

"He came from Baylor where Davion (Mitchell) was the playmaker and all he had to do was shoot," Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell said. "I tell him that all the time."

OK, Mitchell isn't 100% accurate there. In the national championship game, for example, Butler had seven assists and scored or assisted on 44% of Baylor's points. He's never been opposed to passing, but, as his teammate pointed out, there was work to be done.

"He dribbles a lot," Eric Paschall said in only a semi-joking manner.

"We knew that he was capable of making plays off the dribble, but I feel like he's been able to adjust," Rudy Gobert added. "He's getting better at finding his shots without needing 35 dribbles."

The rookie took a bit of a light-hearted beating following Friday's 121-92 win over the LA Clippers. Butler scored a team-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting (including 5 off 10 from deep). The points made a good headline, but it was the other parts of his play that stood out to his team.

Butler had seven assists to just one turnover in his best game in terms of running the team. He was patient in the pick and roll and allowed plays to develop; he was quick in his reads to find open shooters; he was poised and in control.

"When you can create for yourself, it's about finding a balance of being aggressive and taking a shot and also creating for other people," coach Quin Snyder said. "He's got excellent vision. He's finding that balance."

Butler came to the Jazz with a ton of skill: He could shoot, he could handle the ball, he could get to his spots. That created an inordinate amount of excitement for a second-round pick — something that only grew after he put together an electric preseason.

Whenever he's asked about the rotation or playing time, Snyder usually gives a similar response: It's hard to play 10 guys — let alone 12 or 13. It's been hard to find Butler minutes, especially if possessions ended up, as his teammates lovingly pointed out, with him dribbling non-stop in isolation.

With playing time not having come consistently for Butler, his progression as a point guard has been hard to track from the outside. His teammates, though, have seen the early morning workouts and the after-practice drills where he's constantly been fixated on developing as a playmaker.

"His workouts are getting to the paint, lob, pass fakes — all that stuff," Mitchell said. "So now you are seeing all that and getting into actions. When he first got into the game, it was kind of get into isolation, so now you see the growth as a playmaker for him. I think that's really opened things up."

Added Snyder: "It hasn't been five on five all the time, but those are reads that they're working on every day."

Butler admitted the NBA has been a big transition for him: a new system, a different pace of play, more skilled teammates. It's all taken a while to get used to. His comfort has steadily grown throughout his rookie year, which helped set up Friday's big performance.

"I just feel more comfortable out there, and I think the more comfortable I am the more shots fall in, the better assists I get," he said.

As for the insinuation that he's a scoring guard and nothing more, Butler respectfully disagrees, but added that it's a point of emphasis to develop and show that side of his game more.

"I think a lot of people have just targeted me and boxed me in as only a scorer, and I think I have the ability to pass tremendously well," Butler said. "Trying to change the perception is also hard. I think that's the hardest part."

Friday was a step in the right direction. If nothing else, he didn't dribble 35 straight times.

"He played well. He played very well. I'm happy for him," Paschall said.

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