Utah Jazz Best/Worst Case Series: Which Alec Burks will Utah get?
Alec Burks will need to build off his good moments in last year’s playoffs if he hopes to have an impact for the Utah Jazz this upcoming season.
You’ve got to give some major props to Alec Burks. If any member of the Utah Jazz had a right to moan and complain about things, it would be him. Between a frustrating injury history, an ever-changing role that has seen him lose his minutes entirely at times and the fact that many have blamed him and his hefty contract as a reason for Utah’s woes, it hasn’t always been easy during his tenure as a Jazzman.
Nevertheless, through it all Burks has remained a consummate pro. He’s shown nothing but respect for his teammates and the Jazz organization and has worked his tail off throughout his time in the Beehive State.
The 2017-18 season was more of the same for Burks, except it ended on about the highest possible note. After falling out of the rotation for much of the year despite being about the healthiest we’ve seen him since he signed his current contract, he was able to put in some quality minutes in the postseason when the Jazz desperately needed someone who could create his own offense.
More from the best case/worst case scenario series:
For the first time in recent memory, Burks played under control, made good decisions and was an effective option for the Jazz. As such, he was able to average nearly 18 points per game in the three contests against Houston in which he logged 18 minutes or more. He was also effective in those contests as he shot over 51 percent from the field.
Thus, the question facing the Jazz in the upcoming season is, which version of Alec Burks will they get? That answer could very well determine not only his role in 2018-19, but also his future moving forward be it in Utah or elsewhere.
Best Case Scenario
Alec Burks has often been mentioned as on the trade block for the Utah Jazz. Due to his relatively large contract in comparison to his much smaller impact, it’s completely understandable why the Jazz may have wanted to move on from him. With that being so, there’s really two ways that Burks’ best case scenario could go.
The first one involves him not playing for the Jazz past the trade deadline. In this instance, Burks would put in solid minutes for the Jazz and be a reliable contributor off the bench throughout the first half of the season. As such, he would raise his trade value significantly (along with the fact that he’s on an expiring contract) and could potentially bring in a nice return for the Jazz.
Or, on the flip side of things, perhaps Burks will let his playoff performances carry over into next season and he’ll find himself a regular contributor off the bench for the Jazz. If he can get more reliable in terms of decision making, defense, finishing at the rim and shot selection, he has some great offensive tools that make him a promising bench scorer.
When Utah’s offense goes stagnant, that’s something they desperately need. So even though Burks’ impact has been hit and miss in recent years, he shouldn’t be forgotten this upcoming year. Health has been a major obstacle for him, but with a fully healthy offseason under his belt, there’s no telling just what he could accomplish this upcoming year, especially in Utah’s renowned development program.
Essentially, Burks’ best case scenario is that he lives up to the potential he had when the Jazz initially re-signed him. He becomes a solid part of the rotation as an effective shot-creator and scorer off the bench. It would be a tall order, but it isn’t outside of the realm of possibilities that by achieving those goals, Burks would transform into one of Utah’s top bench scorers, making him a sixth man type of player.
Burks would need to undergo some major improvements this summer to truly find his way back into the rotation this upcoming season, but based on his unwavering work ethic and the developmental reputation of the Jazz, he definitely shouldn’t be counted out.
Worst Case Scenario
Burks’ worst case scenario would be little less than what we’ve seen out of him in recent years. Essentially, be it because of injury or shaky play, he would find himself riding the pine more often than not.
Perhaps it would be because he simply can’t routinely perform well in Utah’s defensive system. Or maybe it would be because he just can’t fit into Utah’s offense due to lackluster 3-point shooting, too much iso play or an inability to finish.
Whatever the case, in a worst case scenario, Burks wouldn’t see much playing time and would essentially be eating up cap space while sitting on Utah’s bench. Perhaps they’d be able to trade him away at the deadline due to the nature of his expiring contract for little value, but more likely he’d just have to ride it out until the end of the season, at which point he’d enter unrestricted free agent and likely part with the Jazz for nothing in return.
Next: Can a healthy Utah Jazz team beat this year’s version of the Houston Rockets?
Regardless of how well Burks performs this upcoming year, unless he completely blows the Jazz out of the water with a Sixth Man of the Year caliber performance (which quite frankly I believe is well above even his best case scenario), it’s unlikely that he’ll be back after the 2018-19 season. Even so, I want nothing more than to see him have a nice parting year with the Utah Jazz.
Hopefully Burks will be able to stay healthy, find a groove akin to what we saw in last year’s postseason and unlike what we’ve seen in recent years, thus contributing to a playoff-caliber Jazz team whose offense is in need of his reliable services. If he can accomplish just that in 2018-19, no matter where he finds himself the following year, it will have been a successful season for the now long-time Jazzman who’s had an up-and-down career in Utah.