Two years ago Rasual Butler didn’t even play in the NBA. Last season the veteran managed to catch on with a one-year deal with the Indiana Pacers, but he logged just 7.6 minutes per game while averaging 2.7 points and appearing in only 50 contests.
Butler signed another one-year non-guaranteed contract with the Washington Wizards this past September. When training camp began there was a distinct possibility he might not make the team. Bradley Beal‘s broken wrist may have saved Butler’s roster spot.
Yet somehow through roughly one-third of the 2014-15 NBA season, Butler has consistently remained one of the most valuable bench players in the entire league. At 20-8, the Wizards have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. Butler is a key part of Washington’s success so far.
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today recently wrote the following about Butler’s surprising comeback story:
"Why, at 34 years old in 2013, would you play in the NBA’s summer league usually reserved for younger players?Why, at 33 years old, would you keep working out for almost an entire year even though no NBA team called with an offer? …“Because I wanted to play basketball. It’s very easy. It’s a simple answer,” Butler said. “If you’re serious about doing what you love to do, then you’re going to do whatever it takes for you to continue to do what you love to do.“Some people say they love to play the game. If you love to play the game, you’ve got to go through the steps. You can’t give up on your story.”"
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Butler’s story now has an exciting new chapter. On his seventh NBA club in 12 seasons, the 35-year-old may be in the midst of the best season of his career.
Butler is averaging 10.8 points per game this year, the third-highest scoring total of his career. In 2008-09 with the New Orleans Hornets he averaged 11.2 points per game, then followed that up with 11.9 PPG with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2009-10.
However, Butler played more than 30 minutes a night in each of those two seasons–this year he’s scoring in double figures despite averaging only 22.5 minutes per contest.
Through 28 games Butler has by far his best-ever field goal percentage at .524. His previous high is .476 in 2003-04, and for his career Butler is just a .404 shooter.
Before this season Butler hadn’t scored 20 points in a game since March 2010. He’s already done it on four separate occasions this year. Over a four-game stretch in early December Butler averaged 18.8 points while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor and 54.2 percent from three-point range.
Superb three-point shooting is the key to Butler’s surprising comeback this year. Heading into the season his career three-point rate stood at exactly 36 percent. In 2014-15 Butler has connected on 44-of-86 attempts from long range, an astounding 51.2 percent.
Among all NBA players averaging at least one three-pointer per game, only Kyle Korver (52.5 percent) is shooting better.
Over the course of the season Butler has treated Wizards fans to a great number of plays like this:
Butler may not be able to keep up his red-hot shooting all year, but for the time being it’s a remarkable story.