The Dichotomy Of Trey Burke And Dante Exum

It’s interesting what Quin Snyder is doing with Trey Burke and Dante Exum in Utah. Snyder moved Exum into the starting lineup in favor of Burke seven games ago, citing a need for starting defense and a bench scoring spark. But Exum has continued to struggle since the move, not showing any real improvement.

So the past 5 games for Dante Exum: a TOTAL of 6 pts, 10 asts, 10 rebs, 4 stls, 5 to's all with 20+ minutes. Well damn.
— Darren Barker (@djbdarren) February 5, 2015

“Total.” Not per game. Total. In 24.0 minutes per game over those last five games. And that defense thing isn’t working out so well either, Dante Exum’s defensive rating over that span is a bulging 115.3 with a paltry 97.9 offensive rating.

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Granted, the Jazz are in the middle of an onslaught of the Western Conference’s best teams and point guards, but that net rating is hurting performance and possibly stunting the growth of Exum at the same time.

He’d fare far better against second-tier opponents and gain some confidence on the way — confidence he sorely needs, since when he’s in the game Dante Exum seems to be allergic to paint. He’ll go all the way around it, but rarely in it on offense.

Fans are getting understandably agitated and vocal about his performance, and media are chattering to Quin. That’s how it works. Media talks and writes about what fans are talking about. Simple supply and demand.

Really, this isn’t about who starts. What it really seems to be about is pushing Trey Burke to the next level through the pressure of competition

When asked about Burke and Exum after the Utah Jazz lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in Utah Snyder sounded a little irritated at the question — it’s one he’s had to field in some form or another almost constantly since draft night 2014.

"Tony Parks: Coach, do feel like Trey Burke has embraced coming off the bench?Quin Snyder: You know, there’s this fixation with the bench and starting, and to me, what Trey Burke has embraced is not so much the bench — I don’t want him to embrace the bench, I don’t want him to embrace starting. I want him to do what’s best for our team, and if that’s coming off the bench, yes, he has embraced it.I’m kind of circling around there, but the point is he’s embraced becoming a better player. What he’s done is he’s decided to put even more focus on his defense and emphasis, and really just his concentration.Coming off the bench there’s a need for him to score — that’s kind of what we’ve talked about — but I think it’s the other things that I really wanna see him continue to improve in.–Quin Snyder post-game, 97.5/1280 The Zone"

The “other things” were a few specifics of Burke’s game, mainly offensive goals that you can hear in full with a click on the link above.

Burke would reaffirm the aforementioned commitment to defense in his own post-game comments shortly after, that he’s working hard to improve there. And the numbers would agree. In the same span of five games, Burke’s defensive rating is 106.4, as is his offensive rating.

I really feel the main part: Trey Burke can get better and should be better. He sees that, he knows that, our coaching staff knows that, and they’re pushing him for that

And it’s not as if Burke is playing second units. Indeed, he’s finishing games and playing 32.4 minutes per game. But there’s a definite dichotomy between Trey Burke and Dante Exum, and roles are changing, explanations developing, for why Exum continues to start and Burke continues to come off of the bench.

Snyder’s sentiments were echoed by Utah Jazz President Randy Rigby earlier in the day, as well as a few “Ah ha!” comments that may tip the Jazz’s hand in regards to what they’re trying to accomplish here.

"Gordon Monson: Is Trey Burke okay with coming off the bench?Randy Rigby: I hope not. I hope Trey Burke has a fire in him to keep competing to see if (he) can get back in the starting lineup.There are some players that like coming off the bench — it fits their style and their attitude. I have not heard that yet from Trey. He’s one that always seems to like to be in the starting role, and I like to see him competing and showing his grit. Over time we’ll assess that, and I know the coaching staff will assess that and make those decisions.But I like seeing Trey keep fighting hard and working hard. It seems to be working to motivate him as well in really wanting to prove himself and prove that he can be better.I really feel the main part: Trey Burke can get better and should be better. He sees that, he knows that, our coaching staff knows that, and they’re pushing him for that.–Randy Rigby, 97.5/1280 The Zone"

Really, this isn’t about who starts, as Snyder, and countless coaches before him have said. What it really seems to be about is pushing Trey Burke to the next level through the pressure of competition by taking away what many NBA players take for granted as a given: “I’m an NBA starter,” often followed by “Period.”