Alec Burks missed significant time due to injury for the third consecutive season in 2016-2017. How should the Utah Jazz look back on his year?
Two years after having signed him to a four-year contract, the Utah Jazz still know little about their backup shooting guard Alec Burks. Over the past two seasons, Burks has appeared in only 73 games, and that’s without considering a 2014-15 campaign in which he played in 27 contests.
From a December 2014 shoulder surgery to ankle and knee surgeries over the next few seasons, Burks has almost never been at full strength on the court for the Jazz.
As such, we don’t have a clear picture of how he fits with the Jazz as presently constructed. However, we can look at his limited play as a reflection of the player he will be going forward, at least with a discerning eye.
All told, Burks averaged 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game on 40 percent shooting from the floor this year. This represents a decline in all mentioned categories from the year previous, but he also saw his minutes decrease from 25.5 last season to just over 15 per game.
Still, much remains to be seen in how Burks can rebound from injury woes and (hopefully) maintain a more consistent level of play in the future.
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In order to evaluate him, we’ll look at his best and worst elements of play, as well as how he could fit into the Jazz’s plans moving forward.