Tag: Jared Butler

Report: Former Thunder Jared Butler signs two-way deal with Wizards

The Thunder remains with two vacant two-way spots.

[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8170″]

After finishing last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, third-year guard Jared Butler signed a two-way deal with the Washington Wizards, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

After spending his rookie season with the Utah Jazz, Butler signed with the Thunder in March last season. In six games, he averaged 6.2 points on 46.9% shooting.

No longer signed on a two-way deal, Butler played for the Thunder during the recently concluded summer league. By signing with the Wizards, he reunites with general manager Will Dawkins, who was at OKC.

The Thunder have two vacant two-way spots. Second-round rookie Keyontae Johnson was signed to a two-way deal.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Player grades: Jared Butler scores 31 points in 98-94 summer league loss to Spurs

The Thunder wrapped up their 2023 summer league with a 98-94 loss to the Spurs.

Converting underneath the basket, a Jared Butler bucket completed the 15-point comeback. After trailing for the first 35 minutes of the game, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally took their first lead of the night. A strong 15-4 start in the fourth quarter helped claw OKC back into this game.

Alas, the Thunder’s comeback attempt ultimately fell short, as they couldn’t overcome a slow start in a 98-94 summer league loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Despite the loss, Thunder summer league coach Kam Woods had positive reviews for their overall stay in Las Vegas.

“I thought, collectively, we came together as a group,” Woods said. “Offensively, our ball movement has grown. I thought, defensively, our voice has grown. I thought we played with a lot more pace as each game went on.”

The Spurs opened the game with a 29-17 lead following the first quarter. The Thunder managed to shave just three points of the 12-point lead in the middle quarters. After briefly trailing, the Spurs quickly regained control and secured the win with a 10-3 run in the final three minutes of the contest.

It was an ugly contest from both teams as they struggled to get any offense humming. Both teams shot below 47% from the field and 32% from 3. Ball security was not very secure as OKC had 17 turnovers and San Antonio had 18 turnovers.

The Spurs managed to attempt 14 more shots than the Thunder due to their 15 offensive rebounds — this highlighted their lopsided 48-33 advantage on the boards.

The energy of this game matched the vibes lazy Sundays are usually associated with — as both teams elected to sit out most of their key players. This game provided an opportunity for the undrafted rookies and G Leaguers to get playing time and make one last impression before summer league concluded.

The player who made arguably the biggest impression in this game was Butler, who scored a game-high 31 points on efficient 10-of-18 shooting. Fighting to keep his two-way spot, his shot chart matched the temperature of the average July day in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, the Spurs had several candidates that fit this mold. Undrafted rookies Charles Bediako and Erik Stevenson were two standouts. Bediako collected a 17-point and 11-rebound double-double and Stevenson had 23 points on 7-of-23 shooting. Second-round rookie Sidy Cissoko also had 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

With the loss, the Thunder finished the Las Vegas portion of summer league with a modest 2-3 record. OKC now enters the slowest part of the NBA calendar as training camp isn’t set to start until September.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Shorthanded Thunder suffer 105-89 summer league loss to Wizards

Ousmane Dieng highlighted the 16-point loss for the Thunder.

Camping at the top of the key, Ousmane Dieng splashed a catch-and-shoot 3 to highlight a robust third quarter.

The second-year forward headlined the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 105-89 blowout loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday. He finished with a 17-5-5 line. The Thunder played shorthanded as they sat out Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams in the penultimate summer league contest.

“I thought it’s a good lesson for us that you can layer on as much as you want to layer but it always comes down to the foundation,” Thunder summer league coach Kam Woods said on what they could learn from their loss. “If the foundation is not good, none of the other stuff really matters.”

After an impressive win over the Indiana Pacers, the Thunder elected to sit out two of their best summer league participants. Their absence allowed Dieng and others to vacuum up extra possessions. Despite a slow start this game, the 2022 lottery pick strengthened his strong summer league campaign with another solid outing.

Two-way candidate Jared Butler was also another standout for the Thunder. He scored a game-high 22 points on efficient 8-of-14 shooting.

“I just tried to take what the defense was giving me and make simple decisions,” Butler said on his performance.

As a collective though, the Thunder struggled to generate quality offense. OKC shot 33-of-80 (41.2%) from the field but went 14-of-36 (38.9%) from 3. The offensive woes happened within the perimeter, as OKC went just 19-of-44 (43.1%) on 2-pointers without Holmgren and Williams.

The Thunder couldn’t keep up with the Wizards — both on the scoreboard and on the court. An 18-2 fastbreak advantage for the Wizards helped them quickly build a lead as large as 17 points. Washington rapidly created a 28-20 lead following the first quarter. A 27-19 fourth-quarter scoring advantage helped the Wizards seal the result.

Overall, Washington’s offense scored in flurries. The Wizards shot an efficient 36-of-67 (53.7%) from the field and went a sizzling 12-of-21 (57.1%) from 3. The Wizards took 13 fewer shots than the Thunder, but a 21-of-27 (77.8%) day from the free-throw line marginalized the shot-quantity difference.

The Wizards were led by their two most recent lottery picks. 2023 No. 7 pick Bilal Coulibaly had 19 points, three assists, four rebounds and four blocks. After a forgettable rookie season, 2022 No. 10 pick Johnny Davis dominated with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and went 4-of-8 from 3.

The Thunder dropped to 2-2 in the Las Vegas summer league with the 16-point loss to the Wizards. OKC is scheduled to play one more game against an unknown opponent.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng dominate in 98-87 summer league win over Pacers

The Thunder’s pair of 2022 lottery picks showed out against the Pacers.

Rolling to the basket, Chet Holmgren completed the alley-oop by throwing down a lob pass from Jared Butler early in the second quarter. This was the first of several dunks from the seven-footer in his best summer league performance of the year.

Holmgren’s dominant night highlighted the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 98-87 win over the Indiana Pacers. After sitting the first night of this back-to-back, the 2022 No. 2 pick showed out in what is likely his final summer league game.

“I think (we’re) doing a better job each game of not only competing but carrying some of the stuff over from film,” Thunder summer league coach Kam Woods said about the win.

After sitting out most of their notable players the night before, the Thunder elected to roll them out for what is likely one final time. The Thunder’s two 2022 lottery picks that played didn’t disappoint. Holmgren and Ousmane Dieng turned in their best summer league games. The duo combined for 47 points on 18-of-26 (69.2%) from the field as they steamrolled the Pacers.

“The chemistry was really good in the team. … It was just moving the ball … having fun on the court,” Dieng said about the team’s performance.

The Thunder led the entire night with a lead as large as 17 points. The Thunder entered halftime with a 50-39 lead and lost only two points of that lead by the end of the third quarter.

The Pacers made it interesting in the final frame. They cut OKC’s lead to eight points, but the Thunder answered every threat with mini-runs of their own to keep a healthy distance on the scoreboard.

With several prominent players returning, OKC’s offense returned to robust levels of production. The Thunder shot 40-of-76 (52.6%) from the field — an even more impressive number considering they shot an underwhelming 6-of-24 (25%) from 3.

Led by Holmgren, the Thunder dominated inside of the paint as they outscored the Pacers, 58-34. While the offense was pretty, the Thunder defense was also at its best by limiting Indiana.

The Pacers struggled to generate offense against Holmgren and company. Indiana shot 33-of-87 (37.9%) from the field and went 12-of-38 (31.6%) from 3. The Pacers also committed 11 turnovers to just 17 assists. They even struggled from the free-throw line, where they went an ugly 9-of-19 (47.4%).

“There’s definitely some chemistry and some confidence in my teammates to know I have their back down there by the rim,” Holmgren said. “It gives them more confidence to get up and pressure knowing that if they get beat, I got their back.”

Lottery rookie Jarace Walker stood out for the Pacers. He finished with 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting and nine rebounds. Second-round rookie Isaiah Wong also had 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting and four assists.

The Thunder improve to 2-1 in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Pacers suffered their first defeat and sit 2-1.

If this is truly the final summer league game for most of the notable Thunder players, then they went out with their most impressive performance — both as individuals and as a collective.

Following this 11-point win, the Thunder will play at least two more summer league games. OKC’s next contest will be against the Washington Wizards on Friday, July 14.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Tre Mann shows out in 94-86 summer league loss to Grizzlies

Tre Mann scored 28 points in the summer league loss to the Grizzlies.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s quest for a perfect summer league record sadly came to an end on Wednesday.

After an impressive win against the Utah Jazz, the Thunder fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-86, in their second summer league game in Salt Lake City.

The Grizzlies won this game from outside, as they shot 17-of-38 from 3 (44.7%) — the 17 made 3s are an SLC summer league record. The Grizzlies were in cruise control for most of the game, as they opened up a 39-31 lead following the first quarter. The Grizzlies led by as many as 16 points and were never seriously threatened by OKC for the entirety of the game.

“They started off pretty good and I thought like we were a little bit sluggish,” Thunder summer league coach David Akinyooye said.

The Grizzlies enjoyed a team-friendly performance that saw six of the 10 players that checked in score at least 10 points. Jake LaRavia led the way with 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting and also went 4-of-9 from 3. Vince Williams Jr. also contributed with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds. Kenneth Lofton Jr. had 12 points and four rebounds.

Ball security was a big problem for the Thunder this game, as they were without Jalen Williams due to a left glut contusion. The Thunder committed 18 turnovers, which was dead even with their 18 assists. Chet Holmgren and Tre Mann combined for 11 turnovers. Grizzlies’ Jacob Gylard collected a savvy seven steals.

The turnover disparity led to the Grizzlies outshooting the Thunder by 13 attempts. But considering OKC shot a poor 10-of-34 (29.4%) from 3, who knows how big of a difference extra shots would’ve made for a team that struggled to get their offense going sans Mann.

As mentioned before, the results of summer league games are irrelevant. What matters is how highly-touted players perform against inferior competition. Despite the loss, Mann and Holmgren were excellent for OKC. Both are positive signs that make it easy to forget about the result.

Holmgren continues to show his defensive impact will be immediate, as his rim protection helped him collect three blocks. Considering how the Thunder played all of last season without a traditional big, Holmgren’s summer league has provided a nice preview as to what fans can expect from him with his elite defensive talents.

The Thunder will get a chance to quickly move on from this mundane loss as they play their final Utah summer league game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. After that, they’ll be on their way to Las Vegas to play their remaining five-plus games.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Stay or go: Predicting what the Thunder will do with their 2023 free agents

The Thunder will need to make a decision on these four players this summer.

The NBA offseason is almost upon us, which means the Oklahoma City Thunder have a handful of minor roster decisions to make.

The young Thunder are coming off an impressive campaign, where they went 40-42 in the regular season and fell a win short of making the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander blossomed into one of the best players in the league as he earned All-NBA first-team honors for the first time in his career.

The Thunder have four free agents heading into the summer, per Spotrac, with the most notable one being Dario Saric. Overall, it’ll be another quiet summer in OKC as the Thunder look to improve their roster via the draft and internal development.

With that said though, let’s review the four Thunder free agents and predict whether or not they stay or go prior to the start of the 2023-24 regular season.

2022-23 Thunder player grades: Jared Butler

Handing out a final grade for Jared Butler’s 2022-23 season.

The 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder’s season ended with the play-in tournament loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, which means it’s time for reflection.

Being one of the biggest overachievers in the league, the Thunder finished 40-42 after being predicted by many to have high lottery odds.

Now that the season is in the books, let’s go back and evaluate all 19 players who suited up for the Thunder this past season. Grades will be handed out to every player in terms of what their expectations were heading into the season and how they lived up to them.

The 19th player in this installment is Jared Butler, who was signed late in the season as a two-way player. He appeared in six games for the Thunder.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

(Editor’s note: We are starting individual grades for all players from the 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder. To access other reviews as part of this ongoing series, click here.)

Player grades: Tre Mann collects triple-double in 115-100 win over Grizzlies

Player grades for the Thunder’s 115-100 win over the Grizzlies on Sunday.

OKLAHOMA CITY — With both teams playing their backups, the Oklahoma City Thunder collected their 40th win of the season in a 115-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

OKC finishes 40-42, a 16-win improvement from last year. That is a much better record than the general consensus suggested before the season.

This game marked the regular-season finale for both teams, which elected to sit their starters due to the Thunder being stuck with the 10th seed and the Grizzlies being stuck with the second seed.

The Thunder relied on their starting lineup this entire game as the only reserves Aaron Wiggins (eight minutes) and Lindy Waters III (12 minutes) played sporadic minutes. OKC’s starters averaged 44 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies only used six players in this game, each playing at least 33 minutes.

The Thunder used a 38-24 third-quarter advantage to flip a two-point halftime deficit into an eight-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

In the final frame, the Thunder used an 18-10 run to open up a game-high 20-point lead over the Grizzlies. OKC utilized the cushion to cruise the rest of the way for the relaxed win.

Overall, the Thunder outscored the Grizzlies, 68-51, in the second half to collect win No. 40.

Starting backcourt Jared Butler and Tre Mann took full advantage of the impromptu opportunity as they combined to score 49 points on 19-of-37 shooting, which included the latter collecting his first career triple-double.

“He’s a better player today than what he was a year ago,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said about Mann. “Now the year hasn’t gone as well relative to his expectations for sure as it did last year but he’s definitely a better player than what he was a year ago.”

Meanwhile, this game brought back flashbacks of last year’s summer league as Kenny Lofton Jr. dominated with a career-high 42 points on 17-of-25 shooting and 14 rebounds. It’s been a nice weekend for the former G Leaguer, who signed a full-time NBA deal on Saturday.

2021 lottery pick Ziaire Williams also had a good showing with a career-high 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting and nine assists.

Truthfully, not a ton of eyes paid attention to this game as it affected neither the Thunder nor the Grizzlies.

The more important game on the NBA schedule was the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game that tipped off at the same time. Thunder fans were likely glued to that game as it determined OKC’s play-in opponent.

The Pelicans lost, which means they will host the 10th-seeded Thunder in their play-in tournament game.

“We’re gonna treat it like another game,” Daigneault said about the Play-In. “We’re gonna put a gameplan out there. Make sure that our guys are really clear on it. We have two days to prepare… I’m excited to see what our best punch looks like in obviously a high-stakes game where there’s a lot of distraction and a lot of noise.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades for the regular-season finale.

Report: Thunder sign Jared Butler to two-way deal

The Thunder have reportedly signed Jared Butler to their vacant two-way spot.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have filled in their vacant two-way spot.

The Thunder signed guard Jared Butler to a two-way deal, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The second-year-player has spent this season with the G League’s Grand Rapid Golds — the affiliate of the Denver Nuggets. With the addition, the Thunder’s two two-way spots are occupied by Olivier Sarr and Butler.

Butler spent three college seasons at Baylor from 2018 to 2021.

Butler was drafted in the second round (40th) of the 2021 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, with whom he spent last season between the NBA and G League. He was waived prior to the start of this season.

In 42 career games, Butler averaged 3.8 points on 40.4% shooting.

The two-way spots were held by Eugene Omoruyi and Lindy Waters III for most of the season before both signed standard NBA deals. The former was recently waived, and the latter recently promoted to the 15-man roster.

[mm-video type=video id=01gszjegypthtg54p122 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gszjegypthtg54p122/01gszjegypthtg54p122-216a5d106fc2229c148ace6b78d37089.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Jazz: Jared Butler reflects on facing idol Chris Paul for first time

Butler grew up watching Paul in Louisiana and finally had the opportunity to play him this season in the NBA.

Utah Jazz rookie Jared Butler had posters of Chris Paul on his wall growing up in Louisiana, so the opportunity to play the future Hall of Famer on Monday was certainly a special moment for him.

Butler and the Jazz faced Paul and the Phoenix Suns for the first time this season on Monday. They will meet once again on Wednesday in Salt Lake City with two more games set to be played on Feb. 27 and April 8 this season.

Unfortunately for Butler, the first meeting didn’t go in his favor as Paul scored a season-high 27 points to help lead the Suns to the 115-109 victory. Butler countered with 13 points and four steals off of the bench for his second game this season in double figures.

Butler was matched up on Paul on a few occasions throughout the contest, and the 40th pick even hit a 3-pointer on him during one play. The chance to face his idol, Butler said, was a dream come true.

It is one of those moments like, ‘Dang!’ He was literally on my wall growing up. He played in New Orleans. He was CP3, “Crescent City” connection. That was big for me and then hitting a 3 in his face, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ It was just one of those moments in life where dreams can come true. It is a great feeling but much respect to Chris Paul.

The contest on Monday was just the 21st appearance by Butler after playing sparingly to begin the season. He has even spent time in the NBA G League with the Salt Lake City Stars but was thrust into action with six players out because of injuries.

Butler flashed his potential on Monday and showed that he can develop into a rotation player with more reps and development. He showed that he can be a good floor-spacer for the Jazz and the team will likely need that to continue with so many players out of the lineup.

Certainly, Butler will be looking to beat his idol on Wednesday.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=42101,47968,42390]

[mm-video type=video id=01fstn8tf05cdwpd5s71 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fstn8tf05cdwpd5s71/01fstn8tf05cdwpd5s71-b0eecf4f9d52463dbd0dfe7d1b120872.jpg]

[listicle id=49105]