Mar 29, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Trey Burke (3) reacts after hitting a three-point shot to tie the game with six seconds against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half during the semifinals of the South regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
How did the Jazz pull that off??? I’m still dumbfounded that the Jazz were able to move the 14th and 21st pick to grab the best PG in the draft. Not to mention they moved back into the first round to get Rudy Gobert and did all of this without trading a single player. A+ job by the Jazz front office to get all of this done. Great execution, when the opportunity presented itself the Jazz jumped and they did what they needed to get their guy. Even though i’m super happy with how the Jazz handled draft night, that’s not what I want to talk about. Trey Burke is the future of the Utah Jazz and picking him up was a HUGE step in the right direction for this franchise. This guy is going to be an instant leader and will get the rest of our young players to reach their potential.
What Burke Brings
Everyone really started to pay attention to Burke in the NCAA tournament when he hit a game tying 3 in the final seconds of the sweet 16. Burke had been making clutch plays for his team all season long. He’s a player who wants the ball in his hands in the closing seconds. He wants to be the guy to win or lose the game for his team and more often then not he would come through in time of need. I asked the thejnotes.com staff myself “As the Jazz roster sits right now who would you want taking the last shot with the game on the line?”. Everyone of our staff responded with “Burke” or “Burke or Hayward”. To me it just shows how clutch this kid has been so far in his career. We haven’t even seen him play a single game in the NBA but already we know the intangibles he is going to bring to this Jazz team. He’ll be the guy to bring this team together and he’ll be the guy that puts this team on his shoulders at times or takes the fall for the team not succeeding.
Burke is NBA ready offensively. He can run a team and score when needed. He knows when he needs to take over and when he should distribute and get his team involved. He is an all around better point guard right now then we had last year on the roster. Mo Williams is a scoring guard but didn’t distribute or get his team involved as much as we would like. Neither Jamaal Tinsley or Earl Watson had an offensive game that opposing teams respected which did hurt the Jazz at times. Trey is going to be a threat on the court and teams will have to respect his shooting ability and ability to get to the hoop. This should open up lanes for Hayward, Burks and anyone else the Jazz have on the wings beside Burke. Teams won’t be as willing to double Favors and Kanter on the post either. Burke can shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor and has great range. If teams double the post Hayward, Burke and Burks will be ready to knock down shots on the perimeter which will in turn make it easier for Favors and Kanter to score. In the video above you can see that Burke has the ability to shoot. In the video from 3:03 to 3:43 Burke knocks down 9 consecutive NBA range 3’s without a miss. This doesn’t prove that he will be an excellent NBA 3 point shooter but it does show that he has range and the ability to knock down those shots.
What to Expect
Next season is going to be a fun season for the Jazz and Burke will definitely be a big part of it. The Jazz have come out and said that they aren’t going to rush things and that everyone needs time to learn the system. Many people think this is the Jazz saying they aren’t going to start Burke. That’s not what is being said. The Jazz are smart and they want Burke on the floor right away but they aren’t going to do anything that won’t be good for Burke or the Jazz. If they feel that Burke is ready at the start of the season then yes they’ll start him right away. If they feel he needs to start on the bench to get a feel for the NBA game then that’s where he’ll be. I would bet a lot of money that at some point next season Trey Burke will be in the starting lineup. Personally with his work ethic I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him in the starting lineup game 1. Trust that the Jazz are going to do whatever is best for this youngster and the want to make him the face of this franchise. I’ve added a highlight video below that I think displays Trey’s talent the best. It shows his passing, driving, shooting and a little bit of defense too. I couldn’t be more pleased having this guy in a Jazz uniform and cannot wait for next season!