Is Trey Burke gonna be on a NBA roster next year?

Submitted by DenardPeppers on
I loved Trey at Michigan and thought he was gonna be a good pro. I wanted so badly for the Pistons to draft him. My question for everyone is why do you guys think Trey is struggling to make an impact at the NBA level? He was supposed to be the guy who was the backup pg the Wizards were missing to make do it further in the East this year and he lost his job and ended up with a ton of DNP CD. I hope somehow he can turn it around and be a starting NBA pg or the very least a great backup PG. Edit.... I edited the title because it confused some people on what I was trying to get across. Just want to know why Trey is struggling to keep backup pg jobs. He has been demoted to 3rd string at Utah and Washington. I hate to see him do that cause I use to check on the Wizards to see how he is doing just like all other former Michigan players

DenardPeppers

April 14th, 2017 at 12:55 PM ^

Really though it was probably against everyone else's bench players or rookies. I love Trey don't get me wrong but he lost his starting job in Washington after losing his job in Utah. Not starting job but a backup of job. So is he not getting a fair shake or is he not in the right system. I think at GS he would do good. But one thing is he has a low assist rate and his 3pt shooting hasn't been as good as he was coming out of Michigan.

DenardPeppers

April 14th, 2017 at 1:35 PM ^

didn't even notice that. typing on a phone must have hit the button automatically. It is funny though how Mgoblog works certain people on here can say the earth is flat and people will upvote them. This isn't at you but something I noticed. If we all be honest with ourselves it is true. Not trying to be a duck to anyone but seen this many times and certain people forget to put a period at the end of a sentence they get a neg. People have different opinions and this is what this is for to have an open discussion and not rip others if you don't agree with what they said. Certain things yes you can but if someone thinks Woodsonis the best player in Michigan football history and others think Carter is then fine but don't neg them or rip on them cause they don't seem to agree with you.

beangoblue

April 14th, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^

Opinions are not always welcome regardless of content. I don't think it's possible to make a post on the board and not get negged unless you are posting original content or have actual inside info. Just the way it is around here! Nothing personal against you, I'm sure.

Rabbit21

April 14th, 2017 at 2:04 PM ^

If you want something substantive, I think the mystery has been solved in that Trey has always been small, isn't quite explosive enough to make up for it and doesn't have the insane court vision and shooting chops that would have allowed him to really succeed in a limited role.

Boiled down, there's nothing A+ level in his game to make up for his physical limitations.  This has been consensus for a while.  

Another hint, if you want to get the conversation going provide something for people to bite on besides, I wonder why?  

Come at the question with some perspective and you'll do fine.  Fire off an emotive treatise and then blame people for "not getting it" gets you negged.  It's not that you're providing an outside the mainstream opinion and thus are too edgy for us, but that you're not really providing an argument and then getting mad that your reception isn't what you wanted it to be.

DenardPeppers

April 14th, 2017 at 2:08 PM ^

My first title might have been not straight forward as I meant. To me it seemed fine. All I wanted was some people's opinion as to why they think he is not excelling. His size for one I don't believe you can at that is it. Chris Paul is Shorter and his testing numbers were the same as Burke or a little better. like Paul's Verticle jump was 1.5 in. better. He was great at pick and rolls had a great outside shot and midrange game and had outstanding asst rate and turnovers were very low. Now in the NBA none of that translates? Does he not work to get better then he was in college or did he just plateau in college and he is the same at Michigan then he is now in the NBA.

amir_6

April 14th, 2017 at 12:44 PM ^

he is a system pg. only reason he succeeded was because of the beilien system. now that he is in the league, you are seeing why he was rated a 3 star.

JonnyHintz

April 14th, 2017 at 1:21 PM ^

He has a certain skillset. It's a great fit for Michigan and what Beilein asks of a PG in the offense. That skillset does not translate to the NBA very well. You see the same thing in football with QBs that run certain offenses. They can break every record out there but their skills just don't translate to the NFL.

Whole Milk

April 14th, 2017 at 1:29 PM ^

Eh, I am not sure it is about the system. I just think it's because he is a small guard with decent speed, and a good but not great shot. He's not quick enough to get past guys who press up on him, but at the same time is not big enough to shoot over anybody. Therefore, he is forced to take a lot of tough shots which he simply isn't good enough of a shooter to make a high percentage. At some point, you need a god given advantage in terms of body or attributes in order to succeed, and as far as NBA standards go, Trey just doesn't have one. He will forever be remembered for what he did at Michigan, and I for one am thankful for that.

Gulogulo37

April 14th, 2017 at 8:35 PM ^

Exactly. This was always going to be a concern for him in the NBA. Not sure why people are surprised or chalking it up to him being a "system PG" like Mike Leach's Texas Tech QBs (remember the 5). Everyone is bigger and faster. So if you're on the short side and not extremely athletic, you've gotta be one of the most skilled guys in the league.

stephenrjking

April 14th, 2017 at 1:34 PM ^

You mean running the pick and roll, driving to the hoop, and shooting threes? The NBA doesn't have a place for those skills that he demonstrated in college? 

It's not that he has the wrong skillset. The skills I just listed were all a part of his portfolio in college. They are also a big portion of the skills that make guys like Steph Curry league MVPs. Which he won on the Warriors, whose offense Michigan somewhat resembles.

The skillset isn't the issue; it's the level of skill. Burke can handle the ball, but Curry can handle it better. Burke is quick, but Curry is quicker. Burke can shoot, but Curry can shoot better (and much, much faster). Burke can drive, but Curry can drive better.

You can do this with many players. The point is that Burke's skillset isn't the problem, it's the skill level. At his size it's not enough to do other things well. He needs to do them spectacularly well. He'd be a starter if he were 4-5 inches taller, or if he was blazing fast, or if his shot was a bit more reliable, or if he had the moves or a release that got him open shots where other people didn't get them.

He has these skills; they just aren't enough.

stephenrjking

April 14th, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^

The title of this thread must be a trick question because I just went to nba.com and he's on the Washington Wizards roster, so the answer is yes.

How good of a player in the NBA? Not as easy to answer.

uncle leo

April 14th, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^

-Relatively small frame for today's proto-typical PG. If you are going to be short, you better be able to get to the rim at will, ie Isaiah Thomas. He's not capable of doing damage down low.

-Horrible shooter at the NBA level. Something I thought would transition well for him just hasn't.

-Not very athletic. He was able to cover this up at Michigan with his killer instinct, but this is being exposed big time.

-Very low assist totals. Averaging 3.6 APG, which is not going to cut it. Never thought he was a wonderful passer at Michigan, but seemed to be solid. 

With all of that being said, he's still a functional NBA player. But hasn't lived up to the stuff he did at Michigan.

MI Expat NY

April 14th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^

All of that stems from his one fatal flaw, his athleticism/size combination just isn't NBA quality.  Trey is a good shooter, but it's hard to shoot well in an NBA game if you can't consistently shake your defender and/or shoot over your defender.  His history at Michigan shows he is a good creator, but if you can't beat your defender one-on-one or draw the help defender to the rim, you don't get many chances to set up your teammates for easy baskets.  

Every step up the basketball ladder requires a certain amount of skill and a certain amount of athleticism/size.  You may be able to get away with being a hair under the minimum requirement in one category if you absolutely excell in the other, but there is a limit.  Unfortunately for Trey, his talent will never overcome his lack of size and athleticism.  

DenardPeppers

April 14th, 2017 at 1:20 PM ^

if I remember correctly didn't Trey at least test avg or tax above at the combine? I know that isn't the number 1 thing to say your gonna be good enough or athletic enough in the NBA. Do you think maybe he just hasn't worked hard enough to get better? I d9nt know to me that doenst seem like his character but money can do strange things to the best of people.

DenardPeppers

April 14th, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^

Ok. Don't you think this is getting petty with the negs now? Jesus what is wrong with some of you people. All I did was ask a question about why do some of you Mgoblog members think Trey is not doing well in the NBA. I said he lost his last 2 backup pg jobs. I for one want Trey to succeed in the NBA cause he is one of my favorite NBA players. Maybe me asking why I got negged is a reason to be neg. But if I did something wrong then I want to correct it that's it. So some of you guys neg anything I say on this matter now? I will take it down if it is that bad of a post. I just thought it was something good to talk about and may someone knows more about this then any of us do. I disagree with some of the comments but I won't neg them cause I don't agree. This isn't just about me either I see other people get negged for the same things maybe some members don't like each other but I thought the one thing we all had in common was the love for Our University of Michigan.

DenardPeppers

April 14th, 2017 at 3:23 PM ^

I never said he doesn't work hard I just said is it cause he doesn't work hard as in I have no idea if he does or doesn't but I also said I doubt that cause that doesnt seem to be his character. It is just a hate test in here. I thought this would be a nice thing to discuss about one of the great bball players in Michigan history and now it just turned into whatever I say is negged. Thought maybe someone here had some info that isn't out there as to why he isn't what most thought he would be an NBA starter.

TrueBlue2003

April 14th, 2017 at 3:33 PM ^

he's actually shooting a stellar 44 percent from three this year.  Yes, it's on a smaller sample than previous years, and yes, he's not shooting great from 2, but he's certainly not an MCW-level horrible shooter.

Agree with the rest though.  The NBA is really hard to make.  Top 10 draft picks only stick for long careers at like a 50 percent rate.  He lacks elite size/quickness so he just hasn't been able to create enough quality shots for himself or teammates and doesn't defend well (never did).  All the concerns teams had about him coming out of college couldn't be overcome by his "killer instinct/competitiveness/intangibles" that could have overcome his physical limitations.

There is also some truth to the "system" player rationale. M's offense is so efficient, and he was surrounded by such good players (all of whom have turned out to be disappointing NBA players) that his offensive stats, and unfortunately all M players now, should have been taken with a grain of salt.

Drafting a Michigan player seems like drafting a Sonny Dykes/Mike Leach/air-raid/spread and shred skill position player in football.  They might be good but it's hard to tell what stats/performance are a result of the system and what is a result of individual talent.  They get the college awards (ahem RG3) but usually don't pan out in the NFL.

stephenrjking

April 14th, 2017 at 12:59 PM ^

I haven't seen the game where he did well, but of course it's the end of the regular season and they're clearing the bench. Don't expect to see a lot of Burke in the playoffs even if the Wizards do well.

That said, his performance demonstrates what he has and what he doesn't have.

He was a great player in college. Quick, good shot, good vision and instincts. He could get to the hoop. He was able to beat the opposition in college.

But the things he did well in college are things that haven't translated well to the NBA. Look at the gif in the post I'm responding to--a great move resulting in an open shot. 

And also a move that will not work in the NBA, where the guys playing defense are smarter, faster, and taller. In the NBA that defender gets back or a guy closes it out, and he has to adjust in the air and it clanks off the rim if he even gets it off.

The problem is that Burke is good at a lot of things a PG needs to be good at. But he needs to be great at some of these things to be effective. He doesn't have great speed or athleticism. Is he athletic? Sure, he would embarrass every participant on this board. But the guys defending him are more athletic. Is he 5-foot-nothing? No, but the guys covering him are taller and longer. Can he shoot? Sure, but his release isn't Curry-fast and his ability to get open isn't AI-quick, so he's not going to be good at creating his own shot, and to my knowledge his catch-and-shoot is only ok, so there's no reasont to run plays to get him those looks.

Can he drive? Yes, we've seen him do it, but the college guards he was beating have been replaced with defense fiends. Once past them, he could only barely get those shots to the rim in college; now instead of some unathletic 6'10 guy coming to defend he's got 7-foot-plus Tyson Chandler looming over him.

He has yet to find a role and a skill that he excels at enough to make him a reliable something in the NBA. He does a lot of stuff well, but for everything he does well there is someone who can do that better.

DenardPeppers

April 14th, 2017 at 1:01 PM ^

Ok so I got 2 neg votes one from u and one from someone who didn't even leave a comment. Is it cause I said is Trey Burke an NBA Player? Doesn't mean is he in the NBA it means does he belong. I guess you can take it 2 ways but just curious why u - me? I can see if it is like the comment only a Michigan man will coach at Michigan was said by Steve Fisher. Then neg me cause Every one knows Bo said that.

stephenrjking

April 14th, 2017 at 1:04 PM ^

First rule of points: Never talk about points. I'll just help you out here--this particular comment is likely to get negged a lot, and that's because comments that complain about negs get negs.

We all say stupid stuff. Sometimes we word things poorly or make a bad point or have a bad day (just ask Mr. Yost). You eat the negs and you move on.

DenardPeppers

April 14th, 2017 at 1:10 PM ^

Just sometimes when we neg it is just cause we don't like what is said and it is actually the truth. Just sometimes I wouldlike to know why? Did I spell something wrong is my words not clear enough? Just hate sometimes on here everyone tries to be so PC and neg people if they hit a wrong letter or something else stupid. I just came on here to ask why people think Trey one of my all time favorite players is having such a hard time succeeding? That's all the way I worded it could have been clearer but it also meant something different to me when I posted if I need to change it then someone let me know.