Utah Jazz: An Interview With Second-Year PG Trey Burke
Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to interview one of the point guards for the Utah Jazz Trey Burke. During our conversation we spoke mainly about the game we each love, basketball.
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In our conversation we also talked about the player in the game who he looks up to the most, as well as what the Utah Jazz need to do to make the playoffs next season. We also talked about the Get Game Ready campaign. his pregame routine is a key part to his success, and he uses numerous amounts of Unilever products to help him succeed including Degree Dry Spray.
Burke this season has avoided the cliché sophomore slump, and he’s become an even better player in his second year than his previous. Check out the awesome interview we had.
DM: First, can you tell me a little bit about the program that you’re involved in with Unilever?
TB: Im working with Unilever to get guys game ready with their grooming routine during March Madness. I use a couple of their products such as the Degree Dry Spray and Dove mens+care body wash. It’s something that I do before games to kind of groom. It helps me feel good on the court, and everyone wants to feel good. That’s something that I think helps everybody.
DM: Let’s talk about the Jazz for a bit. What are some of the qualities that your coach (Quin Snyder) likes most in a player?
TB: He tells me to play confident. He tells me to go out there and pretty much run the offense and run the team. More importantly, he wants me to get after guys on defense. He holds everyone in the organization accountable including himself, to help the organization get better and to help the team grow.
DM: Speaking of confidence, I know your confidence might have been shaken a little bit since you’ve had to come off the bench but I actually think your role is awesome because when you come off the bench you’re looking to score more so than pass the ball. You’re looking for your own shot instead of getting Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward involved. Which do you think suits you best?
TB: Probably being a true point guard and getting those guys involved and scoring too. At heart that’s what I am. I’m a natural point guard, so I can get guys going. I can get 10 to 11 assists, and still score 20 points. I feel that’s the type of player that I can be, and they (the Jazz organization) know that.
A couple of games I’ll have eight assists and 14 points. Some games I might have three assists and 20 points, because at the same time I can score. Me being a young player I know that’s something that I got to continue to work on and continue to get better at. I know I have a bright future ahead of me.
DM: I’m glad at the fact that you mentioned that you can get 10 or 11 assists in a game and you can actually score 20 points. Why don’t you feel like people aren’t giving you enough credit? I know people are giving you unfair criticism at times, but why do you feel that’s so?
TB: You’re always going to get criticized and that really pushes me. This offseason and this summer is going to be a great offseason for me. I’ll come back as a stronger and a much better player. But criticism, that doesn’t bother me anymore. I’ve been playing under a spotlight for almost six or seven years now going back to college, and at high school at times.
I’ve always received some time of criticism, and it doesn’t bother me. I don’t even feed into anymore. But when I do hear about it, it fuels me, it motivates me because I know that I’m not 29, 30-years-old. I have a lot of years to continue to grow, get better, and be the player I want to be one day.
DM: With that being said, what’s something that you want to accomplish before your career is done?
TB: I want to be an All-Star, and winning championships. At every level, high school or college, I’ve won a championship. From AAU national championships, to state championships, to losing in the national championship game in college. I’ve always really been about winning, stats will come. I’ve always been a part of winning teams. Besides the last two years I’ve won on pretty much every team.
I know that’s our goal with the Jazz organization to get into the playoffs and win, and someday hopefully we can compete for rings. We feel like we have the young talent to do so in the Western Conference.
DM: Before the season started I picked you guys to finish tenth in the Western Conference, and I still think that you guys can get there. It’s crazy how you talked about the playoffs, so I want to know what do you feel like is the next step? How can the Utah Jazz get to the playoffs next year?
TB: Next year….just being steady, the way that we’ve been after the All-Star break. We went on a nine game losing streak this year which really messed us up. We were learning and through that adversity we didn’t really allow it to crumble us. We knew that we were going to face some (challenges) this year with a new coach and new players. Just a change-up in the organization. Next year we know our identity.
We have guys that will really improve and help the team out. We feel like it could be a big year for us. We feel like we could be in the playoffs next year.
DM: Why do you feel like this season has been a success with the Jazz?
TB: Because we’ve grown. We knew it wasn’t going to be a season where we would possibly be contending for a title but the way we’ve grown we feel like next season we can compete within the playoffs and in some ways start contending for a title. It’s something that we really see progress in, and we understand that we can be a really good team down the line.
DM: I think so too actually. Because I believe that your development is key to getting to that step. When I see you play, I think about Jason Terry. Each of you are undersized, and each of you are good scoring guards that can also set up your teammates. What would you say about that? Would you say that’s a fair assessment?
TB: Yeah. But at the same time Jason Terry’s more of a shooter. Like I said, I’m a guy who’s really a point guard. A lot of guys have seen me this last year and the year before that really scoring but if you remember in college I had a lot of nine, 10 assist games because that’s who I am. I can pass as well.
In high school I had to be a point guard, I wasn’t asked to score. In college during my freshman year, I wasn’t asked to score as much, I was asked to run the team, and that’s what I want to be in the NBA a guy who runs the team. You see John Wall with 20 points and 10 assists, or Chris Paul with 17 points and 11 assists, things like that, stats like that.
DM: What player would you compare yourself to then?
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TB: I named one, Chris Paul. I’m a little taller Chris Paul. I’ve played against Chris Paul over ten times now. He just has a thicker frame, he’s a bit stronger, but he’s my size.
He’s a guy who’s really elite at setting teammates up, and getting guys involved, and at the same times he’s an elite scorer. But I definitely feel like that’s the guy, he’s an eight-time All-Star. He’s basically still in his prime. He’s a guy who I look at when it comes to size. People tell me you can’t do this, you can’t do that, that’s a guy I look at.
DM: In the spirit of March Madness. I got to ask you about your Michigan squad. This season they were picked to do really well and go really far but it didn’t turn out this year.
Next year they have Caris LeVert, Zak Irvin, Derrick Walton Jr., and they might be getting Jaylen Brown before the year is over. How well do you think they’ll do next year?
TB: They can be a real competitive team. I think with those guys, they have a great shot of competing towards a conference title and making some noise in the tournament. So I wish them the best of luck.
On another note: Check out this tape of Trey Burke before he was a Michigan Wolverine, or a beloved member of the Utah Jazz organization.
Two words … cabin fever. It’s sick.
Next: Can The Utah Jazz Start Sitting At The Cool Kids' Table In The NBA?
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