The Washington Wizards (6-29) lost a heartbreaker to the Philadelphia 76ers (15-20) on Wednesday, but one player saw years of hard work pay off. Two-way (NBA and G League) guard Jared Butler scored a career-high 26 points (11-of-19 FG, 3-of-3 3Pt) with four rebounds and seven assists across 20 minutes, just four days after playing in the G League.
The 24-year-old spoke about how much the moment meant to him, via Wizards PR.
“It feels great. Honestly, a lot of hard work, a lot of patience,” Butler said. “A lot of patience. Sometimes an opportunity isn't the best opportunity, the most glamorous opportunity. But like I said earlier, don't get bitter, get better. Stay patient and make the most of it.”
Butler has bounced between the NBA and G League since getting drafted in 2021. After selecting the Baylor alum 40th overall, the New Orleans Pelicans traded him to the Utah Jazz, where he played 42 games before getting waived on Oct. 15, 2022. He then signed with the Grand Rapids Gold (Denver Nuggets affiliate) on Nov. 4 before signing a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 3, 2023.
Butler then played six games on their NBA squad before signing another two-way deal with the Wizards on July 28. The former NCAA champion averaged 6.3 points on 48.8% shooting in 14.1 minutes across 40 games and was rewarded with a multi-year contract on March 5, 2024. However, he was waived on October 19 before once again signing a two-way contract with Washington two days later.
Since then, Butler has spent time with the Wizards and their G League affiliate Capital City Go-Go. The 2021 consensus first-team All-American has played in 26 NBA games this season, but it'll be hard for Washington to send him back down after Wednesday night's outburst.
Butler admitted that his performance in the 109-103 loss was gratifying, but he's not satisfied with one good game.
“A little bit, for sure. But we got another game in a day or so,” the Louisiana native said. “My goal is to be good for 1,000 days, 3,000 days. So it's just one day.”
Jared Butler proves his worth on Wizards

To say that Butler earned his opportunity against Philadelphia is an understatement. In addition to his long-winded journey since getting drafted, the 6-foot-3, 193-pounder has had little rest the past few days. He scored 19 points for the Go-Go in Washington on Saturday afternoon, not even 24 hours after playing one minute against the Pelicans in a 132-120 road loss on Friday night.
Butler then scored 17 points (6-of-12 FG, 1-of-2 3Pt) with four rebounds and five assists across 20 minutes in Washington's 110-98 home loss to the Pelicans on Sunday night before scoring 14 points (5-of-11 FG, 2-of-4 3Pt) with five assists, one block, and one steal across 22 minutes in the Wizards' 135-112 loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
That all led up to the journeyman's historic night on Wednesday. Butler is the first bench player to record 26 points, seven assists, and four rebounds across 20 minutes or less in an NBA game, via Stathead.
Even though the 2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player had a difficult road, he remained confident that he could make his mark at the top level.
“The goal is definitely to carve out a role with the Wizards,” Butler assured after Saturday's Go-Go game. “A lot of it is a numbers game and opportunity. In the meantime, just trying to get better as a basketball player.”
With Jordan Poole (hip), Kyle Kuzma (calf), Bilal Coulibaly (back), and Malcolm Brogdon (foot) all banged up recently, Butler got a chance and didn't look back. Between him and fellow two-way player Justin Champagnie, who's started 13 NBA games this year, Washington knows how to develop unheralded talent.
Butler's next chance to shine will come Friday night against the Chicago Bulls (17-20) at the United Center.