2013 NBA Draft: Trading Up And Drafting Trey Burke Was A Great Move By The Utah Jazz

The 2013 NBA Draft was very interesting. There were plenty of picks that I did not like, I am looking at you Charlotte Bobcats, but there were also some moves that I did like. I loved the Cleveland Cavaliers taking Anthony Bennett first overall. Bennett should thrive in the NBA with Kyrie Irving feeding him the ball. I liked the Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans trade for both sides. The 76ers are now in obvious rebuilding mode as they acquired Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first round pick to help with those efforts. New Orleans got all-star point guard Jrue Holiday, who will surely help their cause. I loved the Portland Trail Blazers pick of C.J. McCollum in the first round and they got a second round steal in Allen Crabbe. My favorite move of the night, was the Utah Jazz trading up and selecting Trey Burke.

I think that the Jazz got a steal in Burke. They traded the 14th and 21st pick in this year’s draft for Trey Burke, who was selected 9th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was another trade that seemed to work out well for both sides as the Timberwolves landed Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng with those picks. Burke was incredible during his two collegiate seasons at the University of Michigan, where average 16.9 points and 5.7 assists per game in his two seasons. Last year he averaged 18.6 and 6.7, as he took home the AP Player of the Year, Wooden Award and Naismith Award. Needless to say, Burke was incredible for the Wolverines and I think his talent will translate to the NBA.

The Jazz were in serious need of a point guard. They have some solid young post players in Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. Jefferson and Millsap are free-agents, but whoever returns will surely benefit from having Burke on the team. At only 6-foot-tall, I think his size caused Burke to slip a little in the draft. But his strength and athleticism makes up for his lack of height in my opinion. Burke is an incredible ball handler and distributor. He can create his own shot through the lane or on the perimeter. He is an advanced outside shooter that also has a nice mid-range game. Burke is an incredible floor general who will surely be the leader of the Jazz from day one. Defensively, his size is a little worrisome but he was a great on-the-ball perimeter defender in college. Last but certainly not least, Burke is not afraid to take a big shot, as he showed during the Wolverine’s NCAA tournament run, where he hit many key shots.

I think the Jazz got a steal in Burke. He will a good contributor and solid leader from day one. The fact that they had such a need at the position is just the cherry on top. If they can bring back some other pieces, I think Utah will a solid contender in the Western Conference.