Sporting News grades lottery picks Summer League performances, Trey Burke earns only "F"
Sporting News pro hoops writer Sean Deveney graded the performances of the11 healthy lottery picks in this years Orlando and Vegas Summer Leagues. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Trey recived the worst grade of the bunch, an "F".
The cool-headed, swaggering point guard that led Michigan to the NCAA championship game was nowhere to be found out in Las Vegas.Burke struggled badly this summer, scoring 8.8 points and averaging just 4.0 assists against 2.3 turnovers.He shot 24.1 percent from the field and was an unsightly 1-for-19 from the 3-point line.
Probably the first time in his life that Trey ever struggled for an extended period. Hopefully he'll adjust to the differences in the NBA game and earn a better grade when it actually matters.
1-19? Yikes.
I think Burke has it in him to turn it around. Skills are there. Drive is there. Cool head is there. I think he'll be just fine.
does not surprise me from 3 point land. He showed he could hit deep 3s in college but his shot from NBA 3 point land did always kind of look like a throw than a shot. I think that Trey's bread and butter will be the Stockton-like 16 footer. He won't pass up open 3s when the time is right, but I don't think he will ever be a volume 3 point shooter in the NBA. I think one of the first peices of advice he will get when things start for real is that the less 3 pointers he shoots the better his game will be.
Damn you sportingnews and your slideshows....
Do you really "earn" an F?
Yes and no. For second rounders and undrafted guys, the Summer League definitely isn't meaningless - it often means getting a serious look in camp or not. It's also a player's first chance to impress a new employer and no matter what the scenario, it doesn't look good to shit the bed with a first impression.
That said, because he was a first rounder and the level of investment the Jazz have made in Trey, it won't matter much in his case - on that point you are right.
Are there examples of players who have struggled in summer league but done well in the NBA?
Well there goes his career.
Add in the fact that installing Summer League defense is a lot easier than installing offense...and it's not panic time yet. But he still earned that F based purely on his performance.
because you're the messenger and I'm shooting you.
Hey, but I didn't downvote your dog barking thread!
I'm going to be the better man and upvote Tai. Killing with kindness!
you're the bearer of bad news here. you're like a raven delivering a message in GoT and I'm an archer shooting you down before you can announce my army's surprise attack to King's Landing or some such nonsense...
You downvoted yourself in response. Well played.
He's a 6'1" (?) point guard competing in an athleticism drill ... I still think Trey's got team skills, real point guard skills, but he's going to look bad in a competition of who can run through / jump over everybody, right? It's like a free for all in summer league. I mean, I could be wrong, but that's why I'm happy to wait and see.
summer league is where the lance stephenson's of the league go to drop 30 points a game.
a summer league game.
...he was definitely too eager to jack-up a lot of his good perimeter looks right away without looking to get the team a better shot, but that probably had a lot to do with trying to shoot himself out of his slump. He clearly needs to work on being a more consistent from NBA 3-pt range, but that will come in time. Regardless, he showed that he'll be a playmaker in the NBA.
Just because we all love the guy here doesn't mean that we have to make excuses for him or try to candy-coat his performance in the summer league. Trey did not play well. On many occasions, he played like shit. Just call it how it is. He was graded an "F" for good reason. A much better showing was expected by a player who was National POY and the top PG selected in the draft. I am not sure it is wise by anybody to assume that this performance will translate to this upcoming regular season but for those few summer league games, the assessment is accurate.
The NBATV announcers were pretty much saying the same thing I said. Other than the bricklaying, he looked pretty good.
You should find something better to do than overanalyzing what some unstated basis is for an anonymous internet user's post, and you definitely shouldn't reply to the idea that you've conjured in your head. Just go with what's actually written.
But thanks for the well-considered and thought out analysis, like supporting your assertion that "Trey did not play well" with the isolated statement that "on some ocassions, he played like shit." Now we really understand the particulars of how "Trey did not play well" in a very Sparty-esque manner. Bravo.
I feel like it would be pretty hard for a new point guard to come in and try to run an offense he's never played in with a bunch of guys that he's never played with. I expect him to do a LOT better once the real season starts.
Maybe Joe D was right.
Trey Burke's play for Michigan should be applauded. but there have been mixed results in the NBA for the five other point guards who've won the Wooden Award as the College Player of the Year.
Previous point guard winners of the Wooden Award: 1976: Phil Ford (North Carolina) - NBA Rookie of the Year, but wasn’t a starter until his fourth season in the league; averaged 11.6 PPG and 6.4 APG before retiring in 1985; career starting going downhill after third season in the league 2002: Jay Williams (Duke) - NBA career ruined due to injuries suffered in motorcycle accident after one season in which he averaged 9.5 PPG and 4.7 APG, starting 54 games for the Bulls 2003: T. J. Ford (Texas) - NBA All–Rookie 2nd Team, averaged 11.2 PPG and 5.8 APG in eight seasons in which he started in 306 of the 429 games he played before retiring after playing only 14 games in 2011-12 for the Spurs 2004: Jameer Nelson (Saint Joseph’s), NBA All–Rookie 2nd Team; captain of the Magic; averaging 12.6 PPG and 5.2 APG in nine seasons with Orlando during which he has started 488 of 583 games played; became a starter in his third season in the league 2011: Jimmer Fredette (Brigham Young), averaging 7.4 PPG and 1.5 APG in two seasons in which he has had only seven starts and has averaged 16.2 minutes per game