Alec Burks – Lando Calrissian
When we first stumble upon Lando Calrissian in Episode V, he seems like such a likable guy. His charming demeanor and smooth talking make it hard not to want to trust Solo’s old friend. Unfortunately, as we all know, much of Calrissian’s pleasantries ended up resulting in quite the letdown as eventually he double-crossed his friends and turned them over to Vader and the Empire.
That reminds me quite a lot of Alec Burks who early in his Jazz career looked like he was going to be quite the asset. His electrifying play, incredible finishes and stellar driving ability made several Jazz fans believe he could be trusted as a core piece in Utah’s future. However, due to injuries and inconsistency, Burks went on to largely let the Jazz down in Calrissian style by not quite living up to the initial high expectations he set for himself.
Just as Calrissian’s actions resulted in Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, Burks’ struggles resulted in an ice cold finishing ability around the rim last season. Both caused enormous setbacks for their respective squads.
However, between rescuing Han from the Sarlacc Pit and leading the force that destroyed the second Death Star, Calrissian certainly redeemed himself in a big way. Burks has a long ways to go before we can say he’s accomplished anywhere close to that, but he has looked better of late and hopefully his Episode V Calrissian-like behavior will quickly transform into an Episode VI-like redemption.