Pelicans 110, Wizards 98
Q. Jared, from your point of view, what made the difference tonight?
JARED BUTLER: In what sense?
Q. What do you think they did, especially in the second half, to sort of widen that gap and didn't give the lead up?
JARED BUTLER: Yeah, I think at the end of the day they made some shots at some crucial moments where I felt like we were just right there. We'd cut it from nine or eight or from 10 to 12, they would hit a big shot, and I think that kind of was super deflating. I think it happened like two or three times.
Q. How do you think the team rallies around Kuz on nights when he's aggressive like he was tonight, just as a veteran?
JARED BUTLER: I think we love it. I think we love the aggression. I think we love just the fortitude. I think that just kind of represents our team a lot of times during the season.
Q. What changes and how do you guys have to adjust with the offense when Jordan Poole is not playing?
JARED BUTLER: It's definitely a different kind of style. I think JP adds a lot of flair, like some randomness to our offense, and I think maybe more so single hits at times. JP is kind of like a home run hitter at times but just more singles.
Q. You're a guy on a two-way contract, getting an opportunity at times to play. How difficult is it when you don't play for a while and now you come back in and have heavy minutes? How difficult is it to find a rhythm?
JARED BUTLER: Yeah, it's extremely difficult. I think that's why things like the G-League and games, playing yesterday help me just stay in a rhythm basketball-wise. It's just hard because as a competitor you want to play and you want to compete. You just need it every once in a while. That's the difficult part.
Q. You've also played really well when you're on the court. How have you felt about the way your play and the minutes you're receiving intersect?
JARED BUTLER: I think it's the NBA. Opportunities come and go. It's a numbers game. You've got to be patient. I think the biggest thing for me is when I get the opportunity I make the most of it. That's my philosophy on it.
Q. Another guy on a two-way, Justin, has made the most of his opportunities. Is it inspiring for other guys on two-ways, other guys in your situation to see what he's been able to do when he's gotten that chance?
JARED BUTLER: Oh, for sure because I feel like the average person doesn't realize, don't play a basketball game two and a half weeks and then go play. Yeah. And then sometimes your role is not like the most glamorous role. It's really inspiring for sure.
Q. From one point guard to another, in a general sense, what have you seen in Bub thus far this season, and how does he stack up to other rookies that you might have played with at the guard position with where he's at?
JARED BUTLER: I think Bub is very intellectually sound. I think he can catch on to things very fast, almost like too fast. I enjoy seeing that out of him. I haven't really paid attention to a lot of other guards, but that's what I see out of Bub.
Q. When you say he catches on to things fast, are there any specific examples where you think, wow, that was quick?
JARED BUTLER: Like he'll challenge or kind of discuss play calls or coverages like he understands it. That's a lot to do as a rookie. I think that's phenomenal.
Q. We've seen you obviously improve significantly these last couple years. What's your focus this season? Where do you feel like you're making progress?
JARED BUTLER: Yeah, this year my philosophy was don't get bitter, get better. Again, with my position you've got to have extreme patience, extreme confidence, and I think that's been keeping me going because at the end of the day I've got to get better, and I just can't get bitter. I can get frustrated but I can't get bitter to where I'm losing days and I'm not getting better and wasting those days.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports