TREY BURKE
6-0, 190 lbs.
School: Michigan
Class: Sophomore
STRENGTHS: First off, this kid has the clutch gene. Remember that shot against Kansas? Michigan fans will…for the rest of their lives. Burke is fearless down the stretch, operating with supreme confidence. That alone will help him at the next level. Burke won the National Player of the Year award after averaging 18.6 points and 6.7 assists per game. He was a consistent scorer and came up biggest in big games. Bruke scored all of his 23 points against Kansas in the second half. He put up 25, 8 and 5 in a close loss to Indiana, and scored 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the national championship game. His competitiveness may be his best asset. Burke was upset that VCU was getting all of the publicity about its press and guard play leading up to the second round matchup with the Wolverines, so he completely took over that game. He haunted the Rams’ guards with his quickness and forced them into bad shots. He broke VCU’s press with a walk-in-the-park ease.
WEAKNESSES: His size (6-0) is the biggest concern for NBA scouts. NBADraft.net compares him to Kemba Walker, and that may be a great comparison. Burke will have trouble matching up against bigger point guards. The other issue is that he doesn’t have elite-level speed, and he operates better in the half-court than in transition. That’s not a great combination for an undersized guard at the next level. In order for him to be a great NBA player, he’s going to have to develop a lethal midrange game or become a more consistent three-point threat.
BOTTOM LINE: There’s no question that Burke is one of the best players in the country, and he has all of the skills to succeed in the NBA. He’s got great court vision, can score with ease and elevates his game under pressure. If only he were 6-4 instead of 6-0. The Kemba Walker comparison makes sense, and Burke would do well to live up to Walker’s NBA career thus far. The question is, can he become an impact player on a playoff team at his size?