Fans in Salt Lake City can release a collective sigh of relief, as their Utah Jazz return to regular season action against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 20th. As far as opening night draws go, the Jazzmen could hardly have asked for a better one. The Thunder enter the 2021-22 NBA season as one of the few teams who are likely to be tanking. The Jazz, on the other hand, will be competing to the best of their ability on a nightly basis. Nonetheless, Utah Jazz fans should be reminded of a truism before they outright dismiss their Wednesday opponents: organizations tank. Players don’t.
The Thunder’s cast of young, talented but raw prospects will come out swinging on opening night, and the Jazz will have to respond. Nonetheless, the Jazz will be heavily favored to dominate this matchup. Here are 3 interesting factors to keep an eye on while they’re likely doing so.
Utah Jazz: Jared Butler’s playing time
Most 40th overall picks don’t get an opportunity to showcase their skills on an NBA title contender. Most 40th overall picks also are not Jared Butler.
He razzled and dazzled in equal measure over the preseason, finishing with averages of 18 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He’s proven himself to be a heady, skilled guard who may be worthy of regular minutes in Quin Snyder’s rotation.
One major advantage that Butler gives the Utah Jazz is his ability to play both on and off the ball. Snyder is most likely to feature him primarily in the latter role in the regular season. As a reserve, he’s likely to share the floor with Jordan Clarkson, a much more effective on-ball player, for the bulk of his minutes. Furthermore, he’ll see ample time with Joe Ingles, a high-level, veteran playmaker.
With such tremendous depth, Snyder is unlikely to lean on Butler as a primary playmaker outside of garbage time. Still, that doesn’t mean Butler can’t see 15 to 20 minutes of floor time on a regular basis.
We may get a better idea of the likelihood of that outcome after Wednesday night’s opener.