Utah Jazz Editorial: Alec Burks deserves a chance to be great

Utah Jazz backup shooting guard Alec Burks has looked great so far this season. And he deserves a shot at being a key contributor moving forward.

The Utah Jazz finally got back to their winning ways on Wednesday night by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 117-102. And while a lot of things went well in the contest, one stood out to me above the rest – Alec Burks looked fantastic.

We all know the ups and downs that the Utah Jazz have had with Burks. He’s dealt with countless injuries that have kept him out of action on several occasions. Even when he’s been healthy, he’s struggled to stay in the rotation be it due to questionable shot selection and decision making or unreliability on defense.

However, he’s certainly always had flashes of brilliance. We saw them before the Jazz signed him to his current contract, back before any injury concerns were prevalent. We saw them last year in the second round of the playoffs where at times, Burks was one of Utah’s most consistent players on offense.

We saw it once again on Wednesday night where AB put together an incredible night. He finished the game with 18 points, second most on the team, going 6-of-10 from the field and an impeccable 4-of-5 from deep. His lone miss from the perimeter was a desperation heave from mid-court at the end of the third quarter, so it’s not unrealistic to say that he was perfect from the 3-point line.

Beyond the numbers, he was smart in his decision making on the offensive side of the ball and was more than just serviceable on defense, he appeared locked in and disciplined. By excelling in those two areas, Burks overcame what have been his weaknesses and looked every bit the backup shooting guard and bench scoring threat the Jazz need.

And that all got me thinking – Alec Burks, especially in the final year of his contract, deserves a shot with the Utah Jazz. He deserves to have continued playing time. He deserves a bit of a longer leash. He deserves the opportunity to play a significant role.

He deserves the chance to be great.

Amid all his ups and downs, in Wednesday’s contest, Burks reminded us just how valuable and effective he can be. Sure, he’s not going to go perfect from deep every night, and there will certainly be poor sequences from him down the road, but when he’s at his best, he’s electrifying. And he’s just the bench scorer the Jazz need.

For a team that often times goes stagnant on offense and lacks creators, Burks has the potential to be a heaven-sent if he continues to be this effective. And given all he’s been through both in terms of injury and inconsistent playing time, he has earned the chance to prove himself this year. As he continues to get extended minutes and builds more and more confidence, I’m ecstatic to see what he can do.

Although the sample size is small, Burks’ performance against Dallas isn’t just an anomaly either, as he’s off to a truly solid start this season. Up to this point, he’s averaging 10 points per game which is his best mark since the 2015-16 season. More encouraging than the pure volume, though, is his incredible efficiency. He’s shooting 50 percent from the field and a mind-blowing 62.5 percent from deep.

I don’t believe that’s sustainable, but based on what Burks has shown thus far, particularly in terms of his improved 3-point shooting, I do believe that he can continue to be an awesome threat from the perimeter. This carries over from last season wherein Alec shot an incredible 45 percent from deep in the postseason.

One of the biggest knocks on Utah’s offseason was the fact that they did nothing to add shooters to their roster. If Burks can become that missing additional perimeter threat for the Jazz, it will work wonders for the second unit and the offense overall.

Lastly, while Utah’s defensive rating has suffered slightly while Burks is on the court, their offensive rating has been incredibly higher, jumping from 106.6 to 114.6. Among Jazz players who have appeared in at least three games so far this season, AB just so happens to lead the team in net rating at 6.7. Yes, you read that correctly, as surprising as it may seem, Alec Burks has been so solid to start this year that he leads the team in net rating.

That means that his prolific offense has outweighed his defensive deficiencies. And the good news there is that Burks appears to be improving defensively, and I truly believe he can still be effective on that end. Doing so will only further solidify him as one of the team’s most important players and perhaps the most important of the reserves.

It’s also interesting to note that thus far, with Alec Burks off the court, the Jazz have actually posted a negative net rating. That’s not all that surprising considering how high his individual mark is and the fact that Utah’s net rating as a team is just 1.0, but it’s still further evidence that his presence has been nothing but positive for the Jazz so far this season.

So, between enhanced play, a great start to the season and the fact that he’s earned a chance to prove himself after seasons upon seasons of misfortune, it’s clear that Alec Burks deserves a real shot to showcase what he can do this year. As he faces unrestricted free agency, he needs to have a great year and the Utah Jazz also need him to be exceptional so they can boast a more prolific bench and a more daunting offense.

I love what I’ve seen so far out of Alec Burks and I truly think he’s capable of keeping it up. If he does so, it wouldn’t be just a pleasant surprise for the Jazz, but potentially an absolute breakthrough and revolution for them on both ends of the floor.

The season is still very young, but thus far, Alec Burks looks as good as ever. This could very well be the year that he finally becomes the piece that Jazz Nation has long hoped he could develop into.