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| Photo: AP/Rick Bowmer |
Yes, after Trey Burke cemented himself in college basketball lore with his legendary shot against Kansas in the 2013 NCAA tournament, I naively foresaw a 10+ year NBA starter. Unfortuantely, that is no longer the case. I do, however, think Trey Burke can be a productive NBA player-- just not as a starter on a contending team. The Jazz have also reasoned as much; long term, it's better for Utah to give Dante Exum more mintues this year. Exum, the spindly first-year player from Australia, has a significantly higher NBA ceiling, namely on defense, than does Trey Burke. And the more I remember how Burke played in college, the more I like Burke as a "heat check" bench guy.
Last night's tilt with Golden State highlights what I'd want to see from Burke going forward if I was Quinn Snyder. Burke will struggle on both sides of the ball against an elite PG like Steph Curry; but throw him out there against Leandro Barbosa and the results may be different. Burke scored 20 pts. (5-11 3pt.), and handed out 5 assists (to 1 TO) in 28 minutes last night.
Burke certainly isn't the template of efficiency at his position. He is at his best when he's hunting shots in a stretch of the game where his team needs volume shooting. He's a willing and able distributor, but, again, that's not his game. He never put up gaudy assist numbers in college (or in the NBA), but has always had a respectable Assist/Turnover ratio.
Check out this possession where Barbosa is on the wrong end of this "Don't Disrespect Me Like That" 3:
Trey Burke's NBA destiny is to be a weapon off the bench who can lead the 2nd unit by generating quick-strike offense and distributing well enough to make the players around him better.
I like what's brewing in Utah. When Alec Burks returns next year, and if the Jazz's basketball gurus can figure out how to make the frontcourt duo of Rudy Gobert/Derrick Favors work offensively, this team may be more than just frisky. Hopefully Trey Burke will solidify his identity that will follow him wherever his NBA journey leads him.
