Former University of Colorado star Alec Burks has been making the most of his recent spike in playing time with the surging Utah Jazz, and now he is starting to get recognized as one of the top rookie performers in the 2011-12 NBA season. After scoring in double figures for three straight games earlier in the month, Burks has played less and perform slightly worse over his last two games. Even so, he makes the top-10 list on SB Nation's NBA Rookie Rankings. Burks comes in at No. 7, still behind big-minute point guards like Kyrie Irving and Ricky Rubio, but ahead of higher picks such as Derrick Williams and Tristan Thompson. Here is what SB Nation's Rohan Cruyff had to say about the Utah rookie:
Burks is rapidly becoming a notable slasher; his quick first step and odd-but-effective floater are both tough to defend. For now, he requires space and his first move to be created by a pass, rendering his own defender slightly off balance. The next step will be beating his defender off the dribble himself. He's been impressive defensively as well, even if primarily matched up with bench players.
As Tyrone Corbin continues to find minutes for Burks, expect him to move up the rankings throughout the year.
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