Should the Jazz be worried about Trey Burke?

By Kels Dayton
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Updated: July 10, 2013

(Salt Lake Tribune/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

It’s not the regular season.

It’s not even preseason.

But should the Utah Jazz already be concerned about their point guard of the future?

Trey Burke has been dreadful from the field so far in the Summer League, shooting a combined 6-for-27 in the first two games. He was 1-for-12 in his debut; 5-for-15 in game 2. The ninth overall pick in the draft has gotten his shots rejected, he’s rushed shots in order to get them off, and he’s made shots harder by trying to create more space for himself.

All of this stems from the fact that he’s an NBA midget, listed at 6-0 but really more like 5-10.

Now, it’s only two games and Burke hasn’t even reported to training camp, so in the grand scheme of things, his summer league performance doesn’t mean squat.

But Burke’s struggles are somewhat concerning when you consider the fact that there’s not exactly a long list of players who have been successful at his size.

For little guys in the NBA, everything happens further from the basket because of the size and athleticism in the paint.If you can’t knock down 15-to-18 footers with consistency, you can’t survive.

Guys like Nate Robinson and Isaiah Thomas have been successful in extending their games, and Burke is working through that process right now.

It’s not like Burke is a bad shooter–he shot 46 percent from the field in college–but knocking down shots in the sea of long arms that is the NBA is a different story. He has shown some signs of promise, knocking down a pair of step-back jumpers and showcasing his quick ball handling ability.

He also had a pretty alley-oop lob to former dunk champion Jeremy Evans.

Beyond his shooting struggles, the reigning National college Player of the Year has looked uncomfortable running the offense. He’s dished out just seven assists in two games thus far, and turned the ball over 11 times. He’s been a little slow, timid, and out of sync with teammates.

Jazz assistant Sidney Lowe isn’t concerned about Burke’s slow start. “He’s going to be a good player,” Lowe told the Desert News. “There’s no need to worry about Trey Burke right now. We’re safe.”

I tend to agree, but it will be interesting to see if Burke can turn things around against the Celtics on Wednesday.

OTHER NOTES:

Former Missouri guard and current Celtics summer leaguer Phil Pressey is like a rabid squirrel surrounding a ball handler. I can remember the first time I saw his relentless, gnat-like on-ball defense in college. Not to sound like Walt Frazier, but his motor was marvelous. He’s one of the quickest, peskiest, most hard-working defensive guards you’ll see. Here’s a prediction: Pressey will make the Celtics roster this season.

Kelly Olynyk just keeps getting more impressive. Not only is he averaging over 19 points and 11 rebounds per game in the Summer League, but he’s also cashed pull-up threes, dribbled the ball down the court like a guard , and made opponents look silly with his up-and-under post moves. If he plays like this once the real games start, he could end up being the steal of the draft.

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