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The whole world owes Suns' Jared Butler an apology

The Phoenix Suns have had an enjoyable preseason - going 3-1 across two games against both the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets - and a number of their new players have really stood out. Grayson Allen proved he can once again fill the void left by a more heralded teammate in Jalen Green with some of his performances, while it has been great to have Jordan Goodwin back in Phoenix.

Then there is Jared Butler, the point guard signed to little fanfare in the offseason. With Devin Booker starting at the one and Collin Gillespie backing him up - as well as Goodwin returning as the third string - the belief was that Butler would be doing well to stick around for long in The Valley. Instead he was the best player for the franchise through much of preseason.

The entire NBA was wrong about Jared Butler.

Hard as it may be to remember given his brief professional career has been journeyman like, Butler was a standout at Baylor who to this point had struggled to get a consistent run of games with any organization. The Suns took a chance on him - and why not given they are entering a rebuilding phase - and have already been rewarded. The below stat for example is outrageous.

Jared Butler creating 56 points of offense with 0 turnovers pic.twitter.com/9dgfbZhI0U

— NBA University (@NBA_University) October 15, 2025

It is not just that Butler put up a team high 35 in impressive fashion in the final preseason win over the Lakers - the result doesn't matter at this time of year after all - but rather it was the way in which he went about it. With Booker and Allen rested - and with Green still unavailable - Butler altered his game to attack the basket more and assume a scoring role.

To do this while playing alongside Goodwin - a point guard in the more traditional sense - immediately gave head coach Jordan Ott an unexpected headache, but a brilliant one to have ahead of the regular season. Butler proved that he can also play some minutes at the two if injuries strike down the road, while his fit next to Booker is looking better by the day as well.

Yes Butler gives up size to a lot of opponents, but his quickness makes up for some of that while his drives into the paint will open up the court for Booker and Allen. The Suns can never replace what Kevin Durant brought offensively, but they're going to attempt to do so by committee. Having Butler be a contributor in that regard is like found money for the franchise.

So no matter what this season holds, the Suns simply have to hold onto Jared Butler. He fills a need at the point guard position, but has already shown he can be so much more than that. If he's filling out the end of their bench, then they are going to win more games than fans expect them to, and have a lot of fun in the process. The apology tour starts now for Butler.

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