Utah Jazz: Jared Butler expecting minutes in opener

A Utah Jazz rookie is forecasting playing time from the get-go this season.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Utah Jazz first-year guard Jared Butler confirmed that he anticipates his official NBA debut to come sometime after 7 p.m. MT when the team hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder for both sides’ 2021-22 season opener.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound complete backcourt weapon fell to No. 40 overall at the 2021 NBA Draft. But he then earned a two-year contract before leading the Jazz with an oh-so-promising 18.0 points per game in preseason play.

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And according to Butler, who also happened to be the leading scorer for the 2020-21 Baylor basketball national champs, his only uncertainty right now concerning immediate playing time is the amount that he’ll receive:

“I know I’m going to get minutes tonight. I don’t know how many. That’s the exciting part.”

Then, as Salt Lake Tribune reporter Eric Walden relayed via tweet, Butler suggested to the media that he is fully aware of the increase in physicality he is about to contend with every time he sees the floor as a rookie:

“Some guys just have physical attributes that I can’t do anything about. In college, I’d take charges. Here, if Rudy [Gobert] is coming down the lane, I’m not taking a charge. I don’t want a knee in the face.”

So how many Utah Jazz players would see action in a close game?

Eighth-year Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder usually keeps the number of players in his primary rotation to the single digits. That was the case in the 2020-21 regular season, which ended with the Jazz holding the best record in the league but preceded epic disappointment against the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Now, consider that the top seven scorers return from that squad: Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles, and Royce O’Neale. Plus, don’t forget about the presumed additions to the rotation in the form of the following three valuable offseason acquisitions: Rudy Gay, Eric Paschall, and Hassan Whiteside.

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However, on Tuesday, the Jazz announced that Gay (right heel surgery) and second-year two-way guard Trent Forrest (concussion protocol) would not dress against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Meanwhile, Paschall (right index finger dislocation) is probable.

Still, assuming Paschall plays, one would think that Jared Butler’s guaranteed inclusion must mean Snyder intends to go at least 10-deep.