Trey Burke also had a Gritty Game
Only 8 points on 3-11 shooting (1-3 from 3) but still had 4 Rebounds and 8 Assists to only 1 TO in their win over the Lakers.
February 12th, 2014 at 1:24 AM ^
More reason to come to Michigan!!!
February 12th, 2014 at 1:53 AM ^
I thought when you play hard the ball decides to go in?
February 12th, 2014 at 9:15 AM ^
You have your answer. Burke only played hard 3/11 times.
February 12th, 2014 at 1:58 AM ^
THE BALL KNOWS!
February 12th, 2014 at 8:36 AM ^
she said. Or in Dakich's case--and there's nothing wrong with that. . .
February 12th, 2014 at 3:13 AM ^
Walton sure looks like another NBA point guard. Should really be able to turn up on the recruiting trail.
February 12th, 2014 at 9:39 AM ^
Yeah, I mean Walton was a top 35 overall player and the type of kid that fits the program, so I'd say it's already turnt. I don't really see Michigan being able to consistently pull kids in the top 5-10 range from outside the region unless they make a couple more final fours.
February 12th, 2014 at 5:50 AM ^
February 12th, 2014 at 6:08 AM ^
A gritty game makes sense for a gritty player like Burke, of course. Despite only averaging about 30% from the field in the last few games, his own A/T ratio has been consistently sitting around 3.0 when he is out there, so at least from a ball handling and distribution standpoint, he's still Trey Burke doing Trey Burke things and making a difference.
February 12th, 2014 at 7:55 AM ^
Biggest part of Burke's game people overlook. Guy can run an offense and control the ball. That alone is worth having him on your team in my opinion. Plus, once he gets used to the NBA's speed and size, his scoring will go up too.
February 12th, 2014 at 7:34 AM ^
February 12th, 2014 at 9:16 AM ^
In the Jazz's upset of the Heat in SLC on Saturday (game highlights here) Trey had 13 points on 5-11 shooting (3-8 from 3-pt) and 3 assists in just 27 minutes -- oh, and he hit the dagger shot to clinch the game. Ray Allen had hit a 3 with 46 seconds left to close Utah's lead to just 2; Trey responded at the other end with a step-back 19-foot jumper near the end of the shot clock to raise the lead back to 4 w/24 seconds left and essentially seal the victory. (And this was after Trey talked quite a bit w/Allen before the game to get some pointers, as the highlight video linked above shows.)
Trey's clearly fighting his way through the rookie wall right now -- he's played 39 games already, almost as many as he did all of last year including the Final Four run, and he's dealing w/a sore back and other stuff. His shooting percentage is pretty ugly -- shades of his summer league struggles -- so he still has a lot of work to do on his floater and other ways of scoring once he gets in the paint among the trees. But this guy at ESPN seems to think Trey will be OK in the long-term because of the maturity of his game:
This is what makes Burke so interesting. He has been a phenomenal winner and player at every level, yet his athleticism for his position is average at best. And that is the secret to Burke and his future. When studying his game now, his poise, pace and steadiness jump off the screen.
Young players who are the primary ball handlers for their teams tend to play wildly, often allowing their athleticism to get them into problems. Because Burke is not that kind of athlete, he can't make those kinds of mistakes, but he still could play too fast for his team's good. However, Burke ranks in the top 20 among all point guards in turnover rate. It's one of the key areas that helps separate Burke.
His basketball IQ and his pace of play are far more like a veteran's. He just does not make the frequent mistakes that most other point guards make. Instead, he reads the game, making the easy pass or simple decision, rarely rushing into trouble and typically moving to avoid it. It's a subtle talent, but the dividends are enormous.
I get all misty-eyed thinking of how good Michigan BB would this year if Trey and TH Jr were still in school -- but it has been awfully fun to track their early success in the league this year. For the first time in years, I'm actually interested in the NBA again!
February 12th, 2014 at 9:49 AM ^
February 12th, 2014 at 10:04 AM ^
This year not even the most ardent Ohio supporter could say that Craft belongs in the same sentence as Burke. Burke has a chance at the NBA's rookie of the year. Craft will be lucky to make an NBA squad, unless Dumars drafts him : (
February 12th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^
Burke has struggled recently shooting the ball (okay, basically the whole year), but he's still distributing and helping Utah as a PG. Good win for Utah, which is slowly crawling out of the cellar in the west.