Joe Camporeale – USA Today Sports Images
The Utah Jazz went into the 2013 NBA Draft with a dire need for a point guard. However, as they weren’t picking until the 14th overall selection, they figured that they were going to miss out on the elite point guard prospects in the draft, much to their disappointment.
However, with the way the draft crazily played out, the opportunity came to trade their two first round picks to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rights to point guard Trey Burke, who led Michigan to the National Title game and won the National Player of the Year.
The Jazz were able to land their point guard for the future. On Sunday afternoon in the 2013 NBA Summer League, the Jazz got their first opportunity to see Burke in action against a higher level of competition. Much to everyone’s disappointment, though, his debut was somewhat lackluster.
Playing against the Miami Heat’s Summer League squad, Burke saw the floor for just over 32 minutes as part of their starting five. He put up just eight points, five assists, seven rebounds and one steal while shooting a paltry 1-12 from the field and a poor 0-4 from beyond-the-arc.
Considering that one of Burke’s biggest strengths as a prospect is the fact that he’s an elite scorer and shooter, it’s strange to see him struggle to find the bottom of the net. Many people worried about his size at the pro level causing him problems, but that really wasn’t the issue in this game. He simply couldn’t convert on any of his attempts.
One of the positive things about Burke’s debut was the fact that he embraced more of a facilitator role as he realized his shot wasn’t following. He also showed solid ball-security, only committing two turnovers.
Though Burke struggled to score, his shot isn’t going to be as off as it was on Sunday. After all, this is just one game in Summer League, meaning that it doesn’t hold much weight in the long run. Overall, Burke struggled to score efficiently, but adjusted nicely and still showed some good signs. There’s still no reason to believe Utah doesn’t have their point guard for the future.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google+ and like his Facebook page.
