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Utah Jazz: Trey Burke at peace with Jazz career… kinda, sorta

By Ryan Aston

WESTCHESTER, NY - NOVEMBER 19: Trey Burke #23 of the Westchester Knicks drives to the basket against the Lakeland Magic during an NBA G-League game on November 19, 2017 at Westchester County Center in Westchester, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. Le Brecht II/NBAE via Getty Images)
WESTCHESTER, NY - NOVEMBER 19: Trey Burke #23 of the Westchester Knicks drives to the basket against the Lakeland Magic during an NBA G-League game on November 19, 2017 at Westchester County Center in Westchester, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. Le Brecht II/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Has embattled former Utah Jazz point guard Trey Burke turned over a new leaf? A new feature hints at his personal evolution.

Outside of injuries, the occasional losing streak and the departure of an All-Star player (no big, right?), the Utah Jazz aren’t exactly a club mired in controversy. Mostly, the team hums along its course without incident.

One thing that continues to pop up, however, is discussion about former Jazzman Trey Burke’s time in Utah. Specifically, Burke has commented on how the Jazz “tried to break him” or were the cause of his career struggles time and time again. More recently, though, the former No. 9 overall pick seems to be changing his tune.

Well, sort of.

In a piece by CBS Sports’ James Herbert, Burke opened up once again about his Jazz tour. But rather than make outlandish statements about how the organization treated him, the former college star looked inward.

Said Burke —

"“When you have the friction between me and the fans, I think that’s really what it was. I blame it on myself now. I can look back and I can say that it was me rather than them because I changed the way I played for the way they wanted me to play. That should never happen.”"

On how his career has played out and what has changed recently, Burke offered this assessment —

"“I had to kind of stop lying to myself about I should be here, I should be this, this team should put me in this position when I wasn’t doing everything necessary to put myself in that position.”"

Clearly, Burke has matured as both a professional basketball player and a person. That much is evident, and I’m glad he’s being real with himself to a degree. However, he still seems to be slightly off the mark on his Jazz career.

While there’s something to be said for being true to yourself on the floor, players also have to fit into team concepts. Not everyone has what it takes to be a go-to guy (especially early in their careers) and if they don’t have something else to offer, they’re not long for the league.

Burke was given a whole lot of rein early with uneven results and didn’t diversify his game thereafter. He speaks now about a dicey relationship with fans and changing the way he played; perhaps he didn’t change his game enough to stay on the floor? Moreover, any evolution that did occur was ultimately offset by his physical limitations.

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The fan relationship should be immaterial.

All that said, Burke has definitely grown. And by averaging 26.6 points, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals per contest with the G-League’s Westchester Knicks, he’s put himself back on NBA radars in a major way.

A deal with the actual Knicks looks to be on the horizon.

I, for one, wish him well in his new phase. I’m not 100 percent on-board with how he views his Jazz past, but the past won’t dictate Burke’s basketball future. That will be determined by how he conducts himself from this point on.

Awkward though it may seem for Jazz fans, he’s not off to a bad start.

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