Nov 18, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks (10) shoots during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz won 98-81.Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
First off, let me start by professing my love for Alec Burks. I love his game, I love his athleticism, I love his ability to get the rim, I love his ability to finish at the rim, and I love the energy and overall ability he brings to the Utah Jazz.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say that if there is one player on this team that truly has All-Star potential, it’s Alec. At the very least, he’s the one Jazz player most likely to pull off a highlight play. Just thinking about him has me muttering, “man, that guy’s ceiling is so freaking high.”
The caveat in all of this, however, is that we still don’t truly know who Alec Burks is. Is he just an all-out scorer? Is he a jump shooter? Is he a slasher, who scores off sheer athleticism? Is he a leader—the go to guy the Jazz need down the stretch? Can he play a consistent, high level of defense? We know he can create his own shot, but does he have the ability to create for others and take Quin Snyder’s offense to the next level?
The fact is, he is and can do all of these things, but something about this season has me thinking Alec Burks is going through a bit of identity crisis. I believe he’s on the verge of breaking out, yet I keep finding myself waiting patiently for it to happen.
Like I said in my last column, we’ve seen some pretty incredible moments of brilliance from Alec this year. His 20-point, 14-rebound performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder sticks out the most. But what we’re all still waiting for is for Alec to string together a number of games like that one, consecutively. His inability to play consistently—much like the Jazz team as a whole—is what’s keeping him from an elite level.
So, in order to see who Alec Burks can become, we need to know who he is right now.
Most importantly, he’s still young and has yet to even sniff his prime, so there’s still plenty of time for him to learn and improve. Next, he’s the best Jazz player in isolation, and has a fantastic knack for getting buckets and getting to the hoop. He’s also a magnet when it comes to drawing fouls and could definitely make a living at the free-throw line. Lastly, since overtaking some of the point guard duties, we’ve seen Alec’s playmaking, passing and ball handling improve quite a bit.
Conversely, there are still plenty of knocks on Alec’s game. The one that sticks out the most to me, is that he still hasn’t seemed to figure out his role on the Jazz.
Throughout his college career, Alec was the bonafide star, and spent the majority of the game with the ball in his hand. As a Jazzman, he’s often the second or third option—behind Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. He still doesn’t have a reliable jump shot—this includes the three-pointer too. And lastly, his defense is still a big work in progress. Too often we see Alec get beat, not help and generally look lethargic on the defensive end. For a guy with his talent level, it’s simply unacceptable. Maybe coach Quin Snyder needs to tell him to “wake up” every game.
Speaking of Quin, if I were him, during the next break the Jazz get this season, I would kidnap Alec for a few days, lock him up in some abandoned room, and force him to watch film Clockwork Orange style on a few particular players. I, of course, mean this in the nicest way possible.
The first player would be Dwayne Wade.
We’ve all heard the comparisons between Alec and Wade, and for good reason: they both possess a lot of the same skills. What Wade has been able to do in this league without ever really having a reliable jump shot is nothing short of astounding, and Alec could benefit greatly by studying and mimicking his game.
Watching Dwayne Wade break down defenders in isolation, use passing lanes to his advantage, cut off the ball, maneuver through screens and finish at the rim has always been a thing of beauty. There are also few people who have ever been better at finishing through contact and drawing fouls than him. He’s a freaking surgical, guys, and Alec has the ability to do a lot of these same things.
Seriously, just watch this video and imagine Alec making these plays. He can do it. Look, I know Dwayne is an all-time great, something Alec never will be, but the ability to make things happen is still there.
If nothing else, Alec could benefit watching Wade play defense and rebound. If he could mirror that effort, he’d still be a significantly better player.
As soon as that film runs out, I’d quickly change reels to one that featured Brandon Roy—a perpetual underdog who was a flat-out animal in his prime. Physically, Brandon Roy never had elite attributes: length, strength, explosiveness or speed. What Roy did have was tenacity, intelligence and sound fundamentals. Alec has the former; his athleticism is off the charts, but he could learn a thing or two from Brandon about playing cerebrally.
Brandon Roy also had a keen sense of timing, along with some fantastic change of pace moves. He could finish with either hand in traffic and had a downright nasty jump shot. Other than the jump shot—which could improve over time—Alec has all those same abilities.
Lastly, I would make Alec watch film on Ronnie Brewer. You’re probably scratching your head thinking, “why Ronnie?”
It’s simple: while playing for the Jazz, few players did a better job playing off the ball than Ronnie did. He became an expert at working the baseline as well as playing off the ball. Because of it, Ronnie was able to get easy bucket after easy bucket.
If Alec can improve his off ball cuts it’ll vastly improve his impact on the game. There’s no reason to think that in Quin Snyder’s motion offense, Alec Burks couldn’t do exactly that. Hell, I think he could even do it better—much better.
The future is still super bright for Alec. Once he can find himself and use all of his gifts as weapons, the rest of the NBA is going to be in for a world of hurt.