Utah Jazz: Grading each Jazzman’s first-round performance
By Tyler Thorpe
B+. . G. Utah Jazz. ALEC BURKS
You have to feel good for Alec Burks.
After largely falling out of Utah’s rotation, Alec Burks showed flashes in the Game 1 loss with an impressive 10 points in just two minutes on the floor. Many fans, including myself, didn’t buy the hype of Burks’ Game 1 garbage time scoring barrage.
After logging just five total minutes over the first five games of the series, Burks proved invaluable in the Game 6 victory.
After Ricky Rubio left the game with a hamstring injury in the game’s opening period, Coach Quin Snyder turned to Dante Exum. Exum looked lost in his short-lived opportunity. The spotlight was then on Burks to step up and help the Jazz fill the void left by Rubio.
The former 12th overall pick did not disappoint. Burks scored 11 points in 17 minutes, including a couple HUGE buckets down the stretch to help the Jazz close out the game.
Snyder had high praise for Alec in his post-game press conference:
Quin Snyder: "Alec Burks is the best example of that tonight. Whether it be foul trouble or an injury, we've had guys step up. He's stayed ready. We don't win that game without Alec. There's no question about it."
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) April 28, 2018
The star of Game 6, Donovan Mitchell, also made sure to give a shout out to Utah’s X-factor on Friday night…
"And shoutout to Alec Burks." My whole ❤️ pic.twitter.com/wWo73BsUEW
— Kris (@5kl) April 28, 2018
Who knows what this will mean for AB’s role going into the second round, but a night like Friday night has to feel good for him. Thanks, Alec!