NBA players are tall. Most people know that. That reality doesn’t set in until you attend an NBA game in person and see 7’0” JaVale McGee make 6’4” John Wall look small.
Or maybe that was my first NBA game against the Utah Jazz when the debate was if Deron Williams was a better PG than Chris Paul…
Regardless, the point remains – NBA players are tall.
As the league has gotten bigger and drifted out beyond the arc, the Mavericks have followed suit… kind of.
J.J. Barea (6’0”) is in his 12th season (all with Dallas) and was having a career year before an Achilles tear cut his season short.
Devin Harris (6’3”) is in his 14th season in the league (10 seasons with Dallas), but his age is starting to show despite his decreased playing time.
Thanks to the flurry of trades that Mark Cuban made prior to this year’s trade deadline that sent out every starter but rookie sensation Luka Doncic, there are a lot of new players to integrate into Rick Carlisle’s system, most notably 7’3” Kristaps Porzingis. Unfortunately, there’s no definitive timetable on the Unicorn’s return, so until then, Dallas and NBA fans will have to settle watching Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and…
Trey Burke.
The ninth overall selection in the 2013 Draft out of Michigan has had to fight for a role in the NBA. Listed as 6’1”, Burke was giving up a lot of size to whoever he was guarding on any given night, whether he was starting or coming off the bench. It wasn’t until he got to the Big Apple that he looked like the player that made the Utah Jazz select him in the lottery.
Burke was able to carve out some playing time in New York, but the Knicks opted to accelerate their rebuild by trading Kristaps Porzingis, Trey Burke, Courtney Lee,
Expect Burke to make the most of them.
Despite only making seven starts this season, his per-36 numbers (given starter’s minutes) in his two games with Dallas indicated Burke would be averaging 20.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. He’d also be shooting 60.0% from deep.
To put that into perspective, here are how those numbers would rank against other point guards:
- Points per game: 9th
- Rebounds: 3rd
- Assists: t-8th with Kyrie Irving
- Steals: 1st
- 3P%: 1st
Now, none of this is to say that Trey Burke is going to post the highest 3PT% in a single season by any player or reach Steph Curry’s level as a player. What it does mean is that at 26, Mark Cuban has picked up a PG in the prime of his career while longtime veteran mainstays are on their way out.
(I’m going to miss you, Dirk.)
Currently, Trey Burke is averaging 11.6 PPG to go along with his 2.9 APG, 1.9 RPG, and 0.7 SPG on .415/.363/.827 shooting splits. None of those numbers jump off the page, but
Burke finished with 18 points, five assists, five rebounds, and two steals in his Mavs debut, a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Trey Burke may never become a starter for the Mavericks, but he could be the next J.J. Barea or Devin Harris.
In other words – exactly what the Mavericks need.