Alec Burks, former Colorado Buffaloes star guard and the No. 12 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has been struggling to work his way into the rotation during his rookie season with the Utah Jazz, but head coach Tyrone Corbin knows he needs to find more time for team's first-round pick to see the floor. Burks has averaged 5.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists in just 11.3 minutes per game so far this season, but has still managed to be fairly effective (14.57 PER) by attacking the rim and making plays.
After receiving DNP-Coach's Decisions for four straight games in the early part of February, Burks has since re-entered the rotation. On Monday against the New Orleans Hornets he contributed 9 points, 2 steals and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes, and followed that up with a 10-point,, 4-rebound performance in 19 minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Corbin is still excited about Burks, and admitted to Jody Genessy of Desert News the rookie deserves more minutes than he received early in the year:
"I have to rethink it," Corbin said, regarding the shooting guard's diminished role. "I want to give each of the guys minutes to develop and have a chance to get some rhythm, and he's a guy that deserves more minutes than I've given him in the past, so we got to get it worked out. He can score...That's going to be a good thing for us going forward and we're going to need it from him, and that's why I think he deserves more time on the floor. With the rotations we have had in the past, it's been a little short for him, but I need to find a way to get him more time on the floor."
Burks knows what he needs to do whenever he gets into the game and is confident about his ability (once again via Jody Genessy of Desert News):
"I'm good. Just whenever I get in, I'm going to be aggressive. It's basketball. I ain't scared of nothing, so that's what I'm going to play like...I don't want to settle for jump shots. I like to get closer shots. I like to get to the rim. I ain't going to shoot that jumper until you make me ... then I'm going to shoot it."
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