Utah Jazz: Trey Burke Working With Legendary John Stockton

Bob Donnan – USA Today Sports Images

Coming into this off-season, the Utah Jazz had their sights set on landing a point guard for their future. When the Minnesota Timberwolves came calling looking to trade their pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Jazz were able to get the guy that they wanted, using that selection on point guard Trey Burke.

In his sophomore season at Michigan as went on to gain National Player of the Year honors, Burke displayed a ton of talent. In 35.3 minutes per game, Burke averaged 18.6 points, 6.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting a solid 46.3 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from three.

There’s no question that Burke has the ability to score. He has the ability to attack the rim off of the dribble and finish at the rim, despite being undersized. More than that, his jumper has near unlimited range, which makes him an offensive weapon in that regard.

In terms of being a true point guard, though, Burke’s passing is considered one of his weaknesses as an NBA prospect. He’s not deficient in that regard, but he’s definitely not an elite facilitator at this point. The Jazz seem to recognize this and have brought in the right man to teach him in that area of his game.

According to an interview with team president Randy Rigby on 1280 The Zone’s The Big Show, Burke and his backcourt mate Alec Burks have both been working out with legendary Jazz point guard John Stockton this off-season, something that could have a tremendous effect on Burke.

As we all know, Stockton is one of the best facilitating point guards in the history of the league and has the all-time assists record to prove it. If he can impart skills and knowledge to Burke as he enters his first NBA season, that would be wildly beneficial.

Burke is surrounded by a talented group of young players like Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. If he can learn from Stockton and find ways to create for those guys, the Jazz will have a bright future ahead of them. They might not see instant results this season, but anything Stockton teaches Burke should benefit the team in the long-run.

Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.