Jared Butler

Jeremy Rincon

The Utah Jazz have waived guard Jared Butler, forward Stanley Johnson, and center Cody Zeller.

Butler (6-3, 195, Baylor) appeared in 42 games (one start) with the Jazz in 2021-22, averaging 3.8 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game.

Johnson (6-6, 242, Arizona) saw action in one 2022-23 preseason contest with Utah, averaging 5.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 14.8 minutes per game.

Zeller (6-11, 240, Indiana) competed in three games during the 2022-23 preseason for the Jazz, averaging 2.7 points and 4.3 boards in 6.9 minutes per contest.

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Utah Jazz Waive Butler, Johnson, and Zeller

Ryan Kostecka

After a week and a half stay in Las Vegas, the Utah Jazz have wrapped up the 2022 NBA 2K23 Summer League.

Experiencing plenty of change over the past month — the leaving of Quin Snyder, the hire of Will Hardy, and the trade of Rudy Gobert — simply playing basketball was precisely what the Jazz needed as questions about the future continued to swirl.&nbsp;

Following a slow start at the Salt Lake City Summer League, the Jazz rebounded with an impressive showing under the bright lights. Utah finished 3-2, picking up wins over Atlanta, Dallas, and Denver.&nbsp;

Behind the coaching of Lamar Skeeter, the Jazz employed a switch-heavy defense alongside a balanced offensive attack to finish above .500. The veteran leadership of Jared Butler and Xavier Sneed was massively needed. At the same time, the improved play of youngsters Johnny Juzang, Leandro Bolmaro, and Bruno Caboclo helped steer Utah along.

1.) UTAH 72 – Atlanta 66*With Juzang and Bolmaro making their season debuts — both of whom were in the starting lineup — the Jazz jumped all over Atlanta early on and never looked back. Despite a frantic fourth quarter in which Utah overcame a big Hawks run, Butler and co. picked up their first win of the summer in a 72-66 victory.

"He had a lot of success in the pick-and-roll early, throwing the lobs and making the right reads," Skeeter said of Butler.

Butler showed off his elite quickness and impressive playmaking skills from the opening tip, finishing with 15 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Whether using the pick-and-roll to create opportunities or breaking down his man off the dribble, it was apparent that Butler's mission was to allow everyone else to find a rhythm.

However, as Atlanta began to make its comeback, particularly in the fourth quarter, Butler went into attack mode on offense. He looked for his shot and found it often, scoring 11 points in the second half as he helped the Jazz hold on late.

Caboclo tallied a near double-double of 11 points and eight rebounds. James Palmer Jr. provided a great spark off the bench with 10 points and four rebounds, while former All-American Kofi Cockburn was a menace on the boards, tallying a gamine-high 13 rebounds while adding two blocks.

2.) UTAH 83 – Dallas 82*After seeing action in his first Summer League game on Saturday, July 9, Juzang admitted some rust needed to be knocked off. 

Juzang missed all three games of the SLC Summer League tournament last week while recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident. Although everyone involved was alright, he was dealing with concussion-like symptoms that made it nearly impossible to prepare for one of the biggest summers of his life.

Juzang hit the biggest shot last Monday night, knocking down a three-pointer with 30 seconds to play to give the Jazz a lead as they held on to beat Dallas 83-82.

"My teammates were finding me for some good looks. … But it's just about competing, that's the best thing about it," he said Monday night. "JB (Butler) found me. … I had a great look, but it would've felt a little rushed, and I saw him (defender) closing out pretty hard, so I got him up in the air, got a little more time, and just stuck it."

7-foot-6 center Tacko finished with a monster double-double of 12 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks. But his offensive rebound with one second remaining sealed the eventual victory.

"Tacko definitely gave us a big lift with his size, his activity, and his hands," Skeeter said. "The rebounding was huge. … A lot of those offensive rebounds late, especially that last possession."

Butler finished with nine points, 10 assists, and five rebounds, while DJ Funderburk added a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sneed and Juzang each finished with 11 points and five rebounds, while Justin Robinson was a huge spark off the bench with 11 points in 18 minutes.

3.) Toronto 80 – UTAH 74*Despite a massive comeback in the fourth quarter, Utah's unbeaten streak in Vegas ended last Wednesday in a defeat to the Raptors.

Struggling to find a rhythm on either end of the court, the Jazz looked like a different squad compared to the first two games — finding themselves trailing 46-30 at the half.&nbsp;

An 11-4 run allowed Utah to cut the deficit to single digits early in the third, but the Raptors righted the ship, leading by 16 entering the fourth quarter.&nbsp;

But as was the theme for most of summer league, Skeeter and the Jazz showed amazing resiliency after a 10-0 run early in the fourth made it an eight-point game. With just under two minutes to play, Butler went on a personal 5-0 run that made it 76-74 with 1:04 to go — but the Raptors ended the game on a 4-0 run to pull out the win.

Butler finished with 12 points and six assists, while Caboclo added nine points and nine rebounds. Bolmaro finished with 11 points, while Darryl Morsell chipped in 10 points off the bench.

4.) LA Clippers 82 – UTAH 65*With Butler, Sneed, and Cockburn all resting for the game, Utah's fourth game in Vegas can best be summed up as the Bolmaro game. 

Finishing with a summer league-high 19 points (8-of-15 from the floor, 3-for-7 from deep) and six rebounds, Bolmaro made his presence on both ends of the court. One of the pieces absorbed in the Gobert trade, Bolmaro flashed two-way versatility that could see him earn court time come October.&nbsp;

After trailing by two entering the third quarter, Utah outscored the Clippers 19-11 to take a six-point lead entering the final 10 minutes — but it all came apart. The Jazz were outscored 32-9, falling 82-65 in the end.&nbsp;

Juzang finished with 14 points and four rebounds, while Fall added eight points, nine rebounds, and four blocks.&nbsp;

5.) UTAH 82 – Denver 72*After an up-and-down summer league, Butler finished the season on a high note by leading the Jazz to an 82-72 victory over the Nuggets on Sunday.

Showcasing his playmaking abilities, Butler finished with 15 points, six assists, and four rebounds. He was the catalyst for the Utah offense, particularly in a dominant second quarter in which the Jazz outscored Denver by 14.&nbsp;

Utah's ability to shoot the three-ball was the difference-maker, going 13-for-40 from beyond the arc while holding Denver to a 6-for-19 showing.&nbsp;

Robinson provided another big spark off the bench, chipping in 12 points and four assists on 3-of-5 from three-point territory. Palmer Jr. added 10 points on 2-of-3 from deep.&nbsp;

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Utah Wraps Up Vegas Summer League With Multiple Impressive Showings

As Utah opened up the NBA 2K23 Summer League series on Saturday afternoon, there was some skepticism concerning the state of the team.

After all, the Jazz had just gone 0-3 at the Sale Lake City Summer League earlier in the week, falling to Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, and Memphis. With the pressure mounting and the stage getting bigger, Utah was now playing under the bright lights of Las Vegas.

It turns out the brighter the lights, the better the Jazz play — and it helped that reinforcements arrived as well.

With Johnny Juzang and Leandro Bolmaro making their season debuts — both of whom were in the starting lineup — the Jazz jumped all over Atlanta early on and never looked back. Despite a frantic fourth quarter in which Utah overcame a big Hawks run, Jared Butler and co. picked up their first win of the summer in a 72-66 victory.

"There are certain stretch of the game where we got a little careless. ... you could really see it in the fourth," Summer League coach Lamar Skeeter said. "If we have one turnover, two turnovers, if we can dial it back and calm down, hit the reset button. ... We'll be better moving forward."

After a rough showing in his summer league debut on Tuesday, Butler continued his upward trajectory with a phenomenal showing on Saturday.

He showed off his elite quickness and impressive playmaking skills from the opening tip, finishing with 15 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

What was more impressive was how Butler went about his business.

With the Jazz having very little practice time together — three of the five starters missed the opener on Tuesday — Butler made it his mission to get everyone involved. Whether using the pick-and-roll to create opportunities or breaking down his man off the dribble, it was apparent that his mission was to allow everyone else to find a rhythm.

The ability to adapt to any situation is precisely what Utah needs heading into the season, especially with the backup point guard spot seemingly up for grabs.

"He had a lot of success in the pick-and-roll early, throwing the lobs and making the right reads," Skeeter said of Butler

Bruno Caboclo, Utah’s starting center, continued to prove his mettle and worth with another impressive showing. After coming on strong in the final game of the SLC Summer League, Caboclo tallied a near double-double of 11 points and eight rebounds.

While his offensive game continues to flourish, his agility defensively got the most attention. Often matched up with smaller and quicker players on the perimeter, Caboclo used his length and strength to defend and contest shots — even drawing praise a few times from the quarter of Jazz players sitting courtside.

James Palmer Jr. provided a great spark off the bench with 10 points and four rebounds, while former All-American Kofi Cockburn was a menace on the boards, tallying a gamine-high 13 rebounds while adding two blocks.

The Jazz return to action on Monday night when they face the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MT from Cox Pavillion on the campus at UNLV.

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"We'll Be Better" | Butler Leads Utah To Opening Victory In Vegas

The bright lights of Las Vegas are something to behold.

Whether walking the stunningly long and jam-packed strip or experiencing the boisterous noise inside the casinos where dreams — rarely — come true, Vegas offers something for everybody.

But for the Utah Jazz, Vegas will ideally serve a prominent purpose.

For many players on Utah’s summer league team, Vegas is much more than the bright lights on the strip and in the casinos. It’s all about what they do under the bright lights on the basketball court, where many are looking to further their basketball careers.

Bruno Caboclo has the most NBA experience on Utah’s roster, having appeared in 105 games (20 starts) with the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, and Houston Rockets. However, the former first-round pick hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2020-21 season and is looking to carve out a potential role for the Jazz this upcoming season.

Like Caboclo, Justin Robinson is no stranger to playing in the league. He played in 25 games last season alone, showing his ability to adapt to multiple scenarios.

While Caboclo and Robinson have a multitude of NBA experience, the most popular player on the team is also the hardest one to miss.

With chants of “Tacko, Tacko, Tacko” cascading down from the rafters over the past few days, the honor of the most popular player on the team is the 7-foot-6 center from UCF. Tacko Fall is beloved for not just his overall skillset as one of the tallest players in league history but for his friendly and easy-going demeanor that makes him such a treasured teammate.

As players use the Summer League for a chance to make a statement for their respective careers, two players are looking to improve upon and carve out more prominent roles with the Jazz come October.

Jared Butler and Xavier Sneed saw action in the NBA last season, suiting up alongside stars Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, and the other Jazz players.

While Sneed provides significant value at 6-foot-5 with good length and athleticism, Butler heads into his second season in the NBA battling for the backup point guard spot this upcoming season.

The good news for the Jazz is that they enter Saturday’s first game against the Atlanta Hawks not short on experience.

They played three games at the Salt Lake City Summer League earlier this week. Although they fell in all three, there was a significant improvement in each game, as predicted since the team just began practicing and playing together this past weekend.

Butler saw the most improvement, shining in Thursday’s 95-84 loss to Memphis.

He finished with 22 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds — a far cry from his 10-point outing in Tuesday’s opener.

“Jared was better tonight,” Summer League coach Bryan Bailey said. “We have been harping on the defensive end for him. I think he had some possessions where he really guarded well, kept guys in front, and got into the passing lanes. … He finished with seven assists. I think overall he had a good game.”

Regardless of what happens over the next four games, it will serve as a chance for others to continue to make a name for themselves — all of which come under the bright lights of Las Vegas.

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Jazz Set To Start Vegas Summer League On Saturday

JP Chunga

Baylor men’s basketball head coach Scott Drew joins JP to give some background on the Jazz’s latest draft pick.

Did Utah go all Michael Mann in the Draft?

Here’s a rundown of this week’s episode:

7:10 — What to expect from Jared Butler

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Roundball Roundup: Is Jared Butler the steal of the draft?

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Delta

<strong>Tonight's game against the Golden State Warriors has been postponed. <a href="https://www.nba.com/jazz/news/utah-jazz-vs-golden-state-warriors-postponed">Learn More &gt;</a></strong>