The Suns completed the signing of the former NCAA Final Four MOP. Can he re-prove his strength?

According to ESPN authoritative journalist Shams Charania, Jared Butler, a backcourt player who was previously in free agency, has reached an agreement with the Phoenix Suns, who received a one-year contract from the Suns.

Butler was born in August 2000 and is not yet 25 years old. He is 191cm tall and weighs 88kg. He is a backcourt player from Baylor University selected by the Utah Jazz in the 40th pick in the second round in the 2021 NBA Draft. Although the draft pick is not high, Butler was once the winner of the MOP of the 2021 NCAA Final Four. He also helped Baylor defeat Gonzaga University in the NCAA final that year and won the championship. Unfortunately, Butler was diagnosed with a heart problem before the draft, which also led to a sharp drop in his draft market. He was once considered to have a chance to be selected in the middle of the first round and even at the end of the lottery area, but in the end he was not selected until the second round. It is also because of the low draft pick, Butler's survival in the NBA is not ideal. He cannot get a stable playing time. He has been running around in various teams and cannot get a stable contract.

In the NBA regular season last season, Butler played 60 times for the Washington Wizards and the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 17.4 minutes per game, averaging 9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks, and 1.3 turnovers and 1.6 fouls. His shooting percentage was 44.8%, a three-point shooting percentage of 35.5%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 82.4%. In the NBA Development League last season, Butler played 2 times for the Wizards' subordinate team, Gogo, with averaging 30.3 minutes per game, with averaging 22.5 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks, and 1.5 turnovers and 2.5 fouls. His shooting percentage was 57.7%, a three-point shooting percentage of 42.9%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 75%.

Although the details of the Suns' contract with Butler have not been disclosed, considering that Butler has played in the NBA for four seasons, he no longer has the qualification to complete the signing of the team on a two-way contract. In other words, what Butler must have received was a standard contract, but we don’t know if what he received was a security contract. On the other hand, before signing Butler, the Suns signed Jordan Goodwin, who was previously cut by the Los Angeles Lakers. Although Goodwin's characteristics and role on the court are completely different from Butler, he is also a backcourt player. With Butler and Goodwin signing, the Suns' staff in the backcourt suddenly became a little more abundant. I don’t know if Butler can stabilize this hard-won contract before the start of the new season.