Utah Jazz: More evidence of Jared Butler’s readiness

The most recent Utah Jazz draft selection looks healthy, ready, and starry.

Considering his fall to No. 40 overall at July’s NBA Draft, Utah Jazz fans have relatively lofty expectations for 6-foot-3, 195-pound rookie guard Jared Butler.

Yes, the leading scorer for the 2020-21 Baylor national champs — 16.7 points per game to go along with 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 41.7 percent from downtown — is quite possibly the most anticipated rookie second-rounder in franchise history.

This week, Butler gave further evidence as to why that should be the case while working on his game alongside second-year Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard and a fourth-year pro in Washington Wizards forward Isaac Bonga. He appears to thrive at creating his shot, doing so via ideal lift on all jump shots following an assortment of star-caliber crossover and stepback moves:

Here are the full Swiss Cultures highlights from the three young NBA players’ competitive training session:

How much playing time awaits Jared Butler as a Utah Jazz trainee?

Barring injuries to the Jazz’s more experienced perimeter weapons, Jared Butler will likely need to radiate excellence in training camp and preseason action if he is to have any shot at finding meaningful minutes on the court during the early portion of the regular season.

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But judging from Butler’s advanced skills, maturity, and overall confidence, it’s reasonable to assume the 21-year-old Lousiana native will carve out a significant role within the first few years of his pro career. And it wouldn’t be a surprise if he emerges as a viable bench option for head coach Quin Snyder to call upon regularly at some point in the spring.

After all, as Baylor fans can attest, Jared Butler was rather magical this past spring.