M_Jason_M

June 5th, 2013 at 9:44 PM ^

"Now Burke must prove he can develop into a notable NBA point guard, despite a relative lack of size and the elite quickness that normally is a necessity for smaller lead guards in the NBA."

This is the kind of nitpicking that I think is just stupid. "Relative" lack of size: he's 6' tall, not ideal but definitely good enough. Does he have "elite" quickness? No, but I think he's above average in that area. I'm kind of tired of near non-issues dropping people's stock when they have everything else going in their favor like Trey. He's practically amazing at everything, but isn't the quickest person ever and is slightly short. Draft that kid. Period.

denardogasm

June 5th, 2013 at 10:06 PM ^

I would venture to guess that he is quicker than many of the PGs in the NBA right now.  Steve Nash was never lightning fast but he was the smartest guy on the court.  Trey has the smarts as well.  I always use the examples of how he repeatedly pulled that reach around steal on opposing PGs and the way he would get inside whoever was guarding him and box him out while he just waited for his options to open up.  I've never seen anyone do that so effectively.  I don't know if I've seen that ever actually.

MGoClimb

June 5th, 2013 at 10:25 PM ^

I thought Burke's size was put to rest.  I forgot who it was, but there was a poster on the Blog who made this nice looking chart comparing Burke to some current NBA PGs, and he matched up nicely.

NJblue2

June 5th, 2013 at 10:40 PM ^

I don't get the comparison to Carter-Williams. I mean I get that he's 6'6" and makes good passes, but he can't really shoot, he seems slow to me (maybe because he's  a long strider?). They question Trey's defense, didn't Trey guard Carter-Willaims most of the game, and Carter-Williams went on to have a terrible game. Burke is good, no need to nitpick everything because he's not a physical specimen.

ca_prophet

June 5th, 2013 at 11:22 PM ^

... Kidd was billed as the most brilliant passer out of college since Magic, and was monstrously strong for a point guard leading to great rebounding skills. He is also 6'4".

Without the obvious measurables, it's right to look deeper into whether Burke can succeed. He has a lot going for him, but in order to be an above average NBA point he has to be able to outshoot, out-quick, out-work or be stronger than 15 of the thirty best point guards in the world. This is by far his toughest test yet.

JimBobTressel

June 5th, 2013 at 10:58 PM ^

Trey pretty much blew past every guard in college with the exception of Aaron "glue" Craft

In the NBA he'll need to be more of a facilitator against the elite perimeter defenders.

NoVaWolverine

June 6th, 2013 at 9:01 AM ^

Probably more accurate to say Syracuse's 2-3 matchup zone "shut down" Trey -- it's not like MCW was guarding Trey man-to-man all night. (And for those who think MCW is such a great pro prospect because of his size, check out his stinker in that game - 2 pts, 1-6 from the field -- guy was laying bricks all night, he has no outside shot -- and 2 assists against 5 turnovers.)  How many NBA teams will be deploying Boeheim's 2-3 zone against Trey?

Even putting aside my homerism, if I'm an NBA GM I take Trey over Carter-Williams six days a week and twice on Sunday.

vablue

June 6th, 2013 at 5:38 AM ^

This should not be surprising at all to anyone.  Burke seems to be the type of player that does not scout well and maybe does not show well in combines.  But guess what, he is great when it comes to game time.  We saw this in high school when he was not a huge recruit but came into college and was great from day one and only got better.  Some team is going to draft him and get a great player, if he goes later in the draft it will be better for him as he may find himself on a team with some other good players and be able to start winning from day one.  With the rookie salary cap, he will have to wait to make the big money either way, so its almost better to get drafted a little later.

Oscar

June 6th, 2013 at 7:59 AM ^

"but many of those small guards (Chris Paul, Ty Lawson, etc.) are much, much faster/quicker than Burke."

Chris Paul is not much quicker and probably not quicker at all than Burke.  Andy Glockner is an idiot.

NoVaWolverine

June 6th, 2013 at 9:22 AM ^

The problem with draftniks is they spend so much time picking apart player's games, looking at measureables, etc., that they start convincing themselves a guy isn't as good a player as the evidence of real games obviously demonstrates. All this nit-picking on Trey's size/athleticism is a perfect example. Dude proved himself all year against top-notch competition and won every player of the year award there is. OK, he's only 6-0 or 6-1 and he's not Allen Iverson-quick, but it's not like Trey is Bobby Hurley either (he went to Sacramento w/the #7 pick).

One NBA comp I've been thinking about for Trey recently is John Stockton. No, I'm not saying Trey is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. But let's run down the list of traits they share:

  • Pick and roll master? Check.
  • Solid long-range shooter? Check.
  • Underrated defender with quick hands and a knack for steals? Check.
  • Insane work ethic/gym rat? Check.
  • Tough-as-nails competitor w/huge heart and brass balls in the clutch? Check.

Stockton was no superior athlete, either, but he was a great offensive PG and also managed to be a solid to very good defender in the NBA -- and that was against a generation of point guards who were no slouches on offense: Magic, Isiah, Gary Payton, Tim Hardaway Sr., Kevin Johnson, et al. (Of course, Stockton could be a pretty dirty player and the refs always looked the other way, which also helped his D.)

I do think there will be a learning curve/adjustment period for Trey as he adapts his game to the pros. But his floor as a pro is extremely high -- solid-if-unspectacular starter -- and despite his lack of "ideal" size/speed, I think his ceiling is still an All-Star-level player.

Now let's just pray he goes to an organization with a coach who'll know how to use him well, and a GM that'll surround him with solid talent. 

Seth

June 6th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^

No he can't. All teams ahead of the Pistons should pass on him. You hearing me NBA teams who are not the Pistons? He isn't good at basketball. Pay no attention to the 2012-13 season behind the curtains. Too stiff. Too short. Won't succeed. Draft a big.

French West Indian

June 6th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^

Wasn't Isiah Thomas considered too short too?  He turned out all right.

With that in mind, I'm really hoping the Pistons can get Burke.  He's got the toughness that fits the "Bad Boys" mold perfectly.