By Kaelen A. Jones
Rookie Trey Burke (9th overall, Michigan) looks to become the next great point guard out of the conference in the NBA.
Burke capitalized upon an impressive freshman year, improving throughout an awarding sophomore year, and has cashed in on the results. They've translated into him being drafted ninth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who shipped him off to the Utah Jazz.
The situation could not have been scripted any better for Burke.
During his career at Michigan, he thrived in the pick-and-roll, turning the ball over on only 8.2% of his pick-and-roll plays last year, which ranked 2nd-lowest in the nation (min. 100 plays).
Not too long ago, Deron Williams once thrived in the same situation on the same squad, and it's a similar offense which guards like Chris Paul and Tony Parker have found much success in.
Trey Burke will grow into one of the league's top pick-and-roll point guards as he develops, and from there his game as a whole will progress.
He's ridiculously similar to Chris Paul, expressing the ability to both score and assist with ease, despite their lower stature. Even in comparing their pre-draft scouting reports, they boasted similar numbers although Paul was being considered to be a potential superstar.
Burke averaged 18.6 points and 6.7 assists last year Michigan, similar to that of Chris Paul, who averaged 15.8 points and 6.6 assists in his final year at Wake Forest. Having this dual-threat ability, as well as his demeanor in clutch situations, makes him comparable to Paul, an All-Star caliber player.
Burke also fell into the right situation.
Since Jerry Sloan took over as head coach of the Jazz, the franchise has been known for featuring phenomenal pick-and-roll point guards in Hall of Famer John Stockton and Deron Williams.
After Sloan was fired in 2011, the team's backcourt has seemingly lost its identity, trading away Williams to the Nets and have been searching for a potential star to handle their offense.
They now have that in Trey Burke. They have also reintroduced Sloan to the organization, giving him a managerial role in their front office, which is a great sign for the development of Burke.
Burke is as tremendous a passer as he is a scorer, and displays a defensive tenacity necessary for him to develop into a top tier point guard. He has been acquired by a team that not only needs him to produce, but a team who's system is beneficial to his style of play.
Burke also has a nice nucleus of players established around him in Gordon Heyward, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and Alec Burks. Although it may not translate to immediate success, there's no denying that Burke has fallen into the most beneficial situation he could have been put in. In a few years, we could easily be regarding him as one of the top floor generals in the league.
Sources: ESPN Stats & Info, USA Today
Follow Kaelen A. Jones on Twitter.
@kaelenjones
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