PHILADELPHIA -- When considering how tough the season has been for the Philadelphia 76ers, now is the time for younger players such as Jared Butler to step in and get some much needed playing time for his development and growth in this league.
When Butler first entered the league in the 2021-22 season, he was with the Utah Jazz where he was mentored by All-Star guard Mike Conley who has been a proven vet in this league for quite some time. In his one season with the Jazz, Butler soaked up as much as he could from Conley, now with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"When I was there, it was a lot of, like, visual," Butler told Sixers Wire. "Learning from him. Just his consistency, diligence, getting work done, stuff like that, but as of lately, it’s been texting him, asking him, just like in-game mental things that he talks about or kind of goes through and I’m kinda asking him some of those questions about it so that’s been his impact on me so far."
Conley has never been a flashy point guard, but he has been steady and one of the best in the league. He was an All-Star in 2021 while with the Jazz and has made a big difference on the Timberwolves due to his reliability and how badly he wants to win and make sure everybody's contributing. That's what makes him so special in Butler's eyes.
"He just knows the game so well and he plays the game," Butler said with his eyes wide. "He doesn’t overthink it which is, like, a really hard thing to do, but he’ll be like, ‘Bro, just play the game. Don’t overthink it or try to manipulate it.’ so I think that’s why he’s so tough."
Even though they are, obviously, no longer teammates, Butler still has a relationship with Conley. Whenever he needs some help, he will reach out to his former mentor and continue to take the lessons he gives him.
"I’ll text him whenever I’m feeling down or just like need some encouragement and he just says the right thing so he’s just a good guy, man," Butler added. "A good guy."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' Jared Butler singles out Timberwolves guard Mike Conley
