Jared Butler Breaks Kristaps Porzingis Ankles

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Jazz rookie Jared Butler has wasted little time showing why he might be the steal of the 2021 draft. Against the Dallas Mavericks, he gave Kristaps Porzingis a front-row seat.

Late in the first quarter, Butler caught the ball in the paint with the 7-foot-3 Porzingis standing between him and the rim but strung together a nifty dribble sequence leaving the Latvian struggling to stay in front of the rookie.

After breaking Porzingis down with his dribble, Butler finished with a high-rising floater off the backboard over the would-be shot blocker.

Jared Butler showed off his elite handles against Kristaps Porzingis with this finish. #Takenote pic.twitter.com/S3HkWgIQbv

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) October 7, 2021

 

Butler’s finish was just one play in an impressive stretch in the first quarter against Dallas.

The rookie also hit an open three and found second-year center Udoka Azubuike for an alley-oop dunk.

Butler penetrated against the Mavericks defense drawing the attention of Porzignis before throwing the lob to Azubuike.

Ending the quarter on a high note 🎵#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/xN3r47D1BJ

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) October 7, 2021

Butler’s impressive first quarter comes on the heels of his breakout performance in the second half against the San Antonio Spurs in his preseason NBA debut. After a rough opening two quarters in San Antonio, Butler scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half while showing off his complete offensive game.

After being projected to be selected in the mid-first-round, Butler slipped to the 40th pick after concerns about his heart and knees emerged prior to the draft.

On draft night, the Jazz traded the 30th pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Butler and two future second-round draft picks.