Burks shot 4-for-13 in the blowout loss, missing five of his first six shots. He told Sheridan Hoops that it’s the biggest weakness in his game and the primary aspect that he has focused on.
“I’ve been working on it a lot,” he said. “I’ve worked on it all summer, and in training camp and throughout the year. It’s coming along.”
“He just has to get confidence in that jumper,” Rush said, “and he’s gonna be real hard to stop at one point.”
Burks finished with 12 points but attributed his poor shooting to “just one of those days. Everyone has them in this league. You miss some, you make some.”
Burks was guarded for a stretch by former Utah star and defensive anchor Andrei Kirilenko, which is tough for any player, especially one as green as Burks.
“We can’t have guys searching for shots,” Corbin said afterward, addressing no specific player but the collective Utah group.
For now, Burks says that he is “good with any role coach gives me.” But he had to have been frustrated by Tuesday’s game. Corbin didn’t play him at all in the third quarter, but Burks toed the company line and deferred to his coach.
So as a lottery pick, does it ever cross Burks’ mind that he has never started an NBA game? “Nah, I’m in the league. That’s all that matters.”
Well okay, then. For now.
The Jazz’s 0-4 record is their worst start since the 1979-1980 season, their first in Utah. As a team, Burks said they’ve made “a mistake here and there, we’re learning, we’re a young team. But we’ll get it together. They played harder than us. That’s the name of the game. They played harder than us and won.”
While Burks struggled with his shot, the rest of his game did not suffer. He had five rebounds, four assists, three steals and committed just one turnover on a team that turned it over 22 times Tuesday. He also shot nine free throws, boosting his average to 7.3 per game.
“That’s part of my game,” Burks said. “Get to the free-throw line.”
Like his team, Burks’ game is most certainly a work in progress. His development will continue, along with that of Enes Kanter, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and rookie Trey Burke. And maybe one day, Burks will finally crack the starting five.
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for Sheridan Hoops who loves advanced statistics and the way they explain what happens on the court. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. His website is SprungOnSports.com. You should follow him on Twitter.