NBA Utah Jazz

Trey Burke Battling Through Shooting Slump

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By @mrmarykateolsen

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After being selected by the Utah Jazz with the ninth pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Trey Burke surprised fans and media alike when he struggled to put the ball in the basket during his first foray into summer league play. In the regular season, he was able to connect in the clutch, but continued to struggle from the field overall. This year, despite a preseason in which Burke was probably the team’s best player, the point guard is struggling once again.

His plummeting percentages aside (Burke hit on 4-of-15 from the field in Utah’s last game and is posting an EFG percentage of 37.2 for the season), the former Michigan Wolverine continues to say the right things and keep a positive attitude. During the recent Eastern swing, he told the media,

“I think it’s something a lot of players battle. Some longer than others but for me just staying within what the team does and not trying to do too much and let the game come to me.”

The key in that statement is Burke’s desire to stay within the team’s game plan. Coming into the year, coach Quin Snyder made it clear that his team would play with the pass. Over the course of the recent road trip, that’s something he’s done better than at maybe any other point in his young career. In the last four games, he’s averaging eight assists per contest. He’s also done well to make himself a passable defender at times, something he rarely managed during his rookie season.

In the team’s victory against the New York Knicks, Burke was 5-for-9 from the field with three triples and a game-winning jump shot at the buzzer. It was probably his best game of the season, and not the kind of performance we can expect from him every time he’s on the floor, but it’s closer to the reality than his low percentages through the first 11 games are. Burke is a legitimate NBA player with a good work ethic and a winning attitude. The results thus far may not be where he or the team wants them to be, but he’ll continue to battle through the slump, and before long, those shots are going to fall.

Whether or not that will be enough to keep Dante Exum out of the starting lineup in the years to come remains to be seen, but for now, Burke has better potential as a jump shooter and deserves that starting nod while Exum grows and learns the game.

Ryan Aston covers the Utah Jazz for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @MrMaryKateOlsen or add him to your network on Google.

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