Often overlooked, Jeff Dowtin Jr. overcame long list of obstacles in career year: ‘I’m just a hard worker, a go-getter’

Somehow, Jeff Dowtin Jr. keeps overcoming obstacles and finding new barriers in front of him.

The 76ers reserve point guard has proved time and again that he’s worthy of a standard NBA contract. The Sixers even converted the two-way contract that he originally signed on March 2, 2024, to a standard contract on April 4, 2024.

However, on June 29, they declined Dowtin’s team option for the 2024-25 season to maximize salary-cap space. The 27-year-old eventually re-signed with the team on another two-way deal on July 21.

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And despite having a career year, the 6-foot-3, 185-pounder’s contract was not converted.

The Sixers instead converted the contracts of reserve forward Justin Edwards and reserve point guard Jared Butler. Butler’s conversion came on Feb. 13, seven days after he was acquired from the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline.

After initial struggles, Butler played fine for the Sixers. However, his ceiling is as a third-string point guard. The Louisiana native has not shown enough to prove he deserves to be on the team at all costs.

Meanwhile, Dowtin has been solid when given opportunities. He plays with confidence, can really score, and is an experienced player. And it also seems like the Maryland native is always ready whenever the Sixers put him in the game. Give Dowtin credit for not giving up during what could have been a frustrating situation.

But he’s been a part of five organizations — the Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and Sixers — over four NBA seasons. The pinnacle of Dowtin’s first three seasons came when he signed a one-year standard contract with the Raptors on July 22, 2023.

The contract was a reward for his stellar stint as a Raptors two-way player during the 2022-23 season under current Sixers coach Nick Nurse.

However, the excitement in Toronto didn’t last long. The Raptors waived him on Oct. 21, 2023, three days before the start of the 2023-24 season.

So Dowtin has the distinction of being someone who lost two standard deals in eight months and one week’s time. That could be tough to deal with, especially when your play warranted the contracts.

But Dowtin’s motivation and desire haven’t changed. He’s still determined to do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level.

“I think it’s just the type of person that I am, where I’m from, my family,” said Dowtin, who is set to become a restricted free agent on June 30. “I’m just a hard worker, a go-getter no matter what.

“There’s always going to be obstacles that come in front of you. There’s always going to be things that you don’t like. Things are never going to always go your way. But it’s just how I’m built for different things, different obstacles.”

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One of the biggest obstacles Dowtin faced this season was the league’s availability restrictions for two-way players.

He was allowed 50 active regular-season NBA games because of the two-way contract. Dowtin had been listed as active 48 times by March 26, which made him eligible for just two of the Sixers’ remaining nine games at that time.

That was a harsh reality for the makeshift squad, which had at least eight players unavailable during the last month of the season.

“I wish you could be on a two-way and play all 82 games, especially if you are healthy,” he said. “Obviously, that’s not how it is. You wish for that. At the end of the day, you have to make the best of the situation, you make the best of the contract. Whenever you get the opportunity to play, you have to be ready to play. …

“That’s why I always keep the same routine no matter what, same workout regimen, same meal every game day because you never know. And like I said, whenever your name is called, just be ready to perform.”

Dowtin was definitely ready to perform on April 9 against his hometown Wizards.

In his first game since March 26, he finished with career highs of 30 points and four steals in the Sixers’ 122-103 victory at Capital One Arena.

Dowtin made 11 of 15 shots — including 4-for-7 on three-pointers. His highlight came when he scored 11 straight points on 4-for-4 shooting late in the third quarter. He made two straight three-pointers followed by a jumper before closing the run with a three.

Dowtin concluded his season two nights later with a two-point, three-assist performance in a 124-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at the Wells Fargo Center.

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He averaged career highs of 7.0 points and 15.1 minutes in 41 appearances with three starts. The former Rhode Island University standout also averaged 1.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists and shot 40.0% on three-pointers.

So how can he take the next step and find a permanent home? Dowtin wants to work on staying consistent with three-point shooting this offseason.

“I think that’s grown throughout this season,” he said. “The goal was to shoot at least 35, 40%. So I think I achieved that this year. So that’s one of my major things and just take care of my body, try to stay healthy, and get in the weight room a lot. There’s going to be a physical game. It’s always physical. So just home in on my body, take care of that.”

And knowing Dowtin, he’ll put himself in position to overcome another obstacle.