![]() "It went from shedding tears to joy," Richard Butler said. He thinks he can do that with the Jazz, which will make the long night he had on Thursday all worth it. "I want you to think that I've been playing in the league for six or seven years." I don't want you to know that I'm a rookie," he said. When asked what he hoped to accomplish on the court during his first season, Butler said he wanted to make people forget he was a rookie. He's humble enough to admit he needs to improve but confident enough to think he can contribute immediately. He also said he was eager to be taught by Donovan Mitchell and, if he gets re-signed, Mike Conley. He sees his game fitting right in with Snyder's 3-point happy offense, and he thinks leading a team to a national championship taught him how to win at the highest level. "I just try my hardest to have faith that the Lord is going to direct me where I need to go."īutler believes that's in Utah with the Jazz. "Sometimes when you have faith you don't know all the answers you don't know all the ins and outs and how things are going to work," Butler said. So on draft night, he practiced what he taught: He had a belief that all was going exactly as it should, no matter how painful it was in the moment. He used his free time at Baylor to teach Sunday school lessons to second and third graders. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)īutler is also a man of faith. ![]() Butler was the number 40 draft pick in the NBA. Utah Jazz guard Jared Butler speaks during a press conference at the Zions Bank Basketball Campus in Salt Lake City on Saturday, July 31, 2021. "I like to smile, laugh, pretty genuine and personable person - can talk to anybody," Butler said. Zanik said he was the type of prospect a team is looking for an excuse to draft because how joyous he is to be around. So who is Butler as a person? That might be what Zanik, Snyder and the Jazz are the most excited about. I could just tell that he drafted me as a person and wanted me for who I am as a person and not just you know, basketball skills. "He relayed to me that he was just extremely happy that I got to 40. ![]() 40.īutler said an emotional Jazz coach Quin Snyder was the first one to call him after the selection. There was a reason a loud, hearty celebration came from Utah's war room when he was still there at No. Butler knew they Jazz liked him, but the team made it clear that it didn't believe he'd be there when they were slotted to draft - and that was with a first-round pick. They grabbed a player they saw as a mid-first-round prospect with a mid-second-round pick. But at the end of the day, this is where I'm supposed to be." "I can't change who I am physically, it's kind of hard. "It's something out of my control," Butler said. With that as the backdrop, who knew which team would finally take a chance on the Big 12 Athlete of the Year. Butler fell into the second round due to health concerns that grew so loud he had to get clearance by a three-doctor panel to even play. It wasn't his personality or professionalism, either - Jazz general manager Justin Zanik practically seemed ready to adopt the young man on draft night. It wasn't Butler's talent that caused him to slip - he was one of draft's best all-around shooters and ball-handlers. That's especially true when you don't know when it will end. As simple as it is for your name to be called, It feels like an eternity." "I think for the most part, I would not recommend it. "Draft night was a roller coaster of emotions," Richard Butler, Jared's father, told KSL.com. A night that Butler had dreamed of was quickly turning into a nightmare. The first round ended and he still hadn't heard his name called, and it became harder and harder to watch with each passing second-round pick.Ī no-doubt first rounder was in a free fall. 20 came around and the Baylor guard was still on the board. So on Thursday he gathered with his family with plans to celebrate a first-round selection. The most outstanding player of the Final Four was considered by most to be a top 20 prospect in his class. SALT LAKE CITY - Draft night didn't go as planned for Jared Butler. Reading or replaying the story in itsĪrchived form does not constitute a republication of the story. Only for your personal, non-commercial use.
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