On Saturday, the Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from playoff contention. In its last seven games, Philadelphia has little to play for as it is deadlocked onto the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. However, this final stretch of games will allow players who have yet to secure a home in the NBA to establish themselves. With the 76ers’ pending team option lingering in the air, Jared Butler is solidifying his case to stick around for the future.
Philadelphia acquired Butler from the Washington Wizards on February 6th in a trade that exported Reggie Jackson and a 2026 first-round pick swap and hauled in Butler as well as four future second-round picks. The 76ers likely viewed Butler as both a short and long-term solution to their backup point guard void. While fellow newcomer Quentin Grimes stole the spotlight – rightfully so – Butler has fully lived up to Philadelphia’s expectations as of late.
Jared Butler's recent breakout
In his last four games, Butler averaged 16.8 points per game on 53.2% shooting from the field and 63.6% from downtown on 5.5 attempts, alongside 5.5 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game. Within this stretch, Butler recorded his first double-double in his 76ers tenure with 19 points on 7-12 shooting from the field and 4-4 shooting from three and 10 assists in their 118-95 loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday.
The 24-year-old is thriving as a pick-and-roll operator – decimating drop coverage with pull-up jumpers and feeding the roll-man when faced with a blitz. The 76ers have found success when running two-man actions with Butler and Adem Bona as he has also made strides recently. In their last two games, the duo connected on two lob finishes during each contest. Such an efficient offense could be a Godsend for Philadelphia’s bench unit next season if Butler returns.
When emerging point guards are developing, the most important tool they can possess is repetitions whether it’s with their team or their team’s G-League affiliate. In his first three seasons with the Utah Jazz (2021-22) and Washington Wizards (2022-25), Butler didn’t have that luxury – averaging no more than 14.2 minutes per game in this span. Now, Butler is posting 23.1 minutes with the 76ers and the results are speaking for themselves.
While Butler’s increased role is due to Philadelphia’s direction and mass injuries, he has gotten an invaluable opportunity to run its offense and he’s playing arguably the best basketball of his career. He has a $2.3 million team option for the 2025-26 season and with his recent success, the 76ers are more than likely interested in retaining him and letting him run the second unit.