Alec Burks is now in his seventh season with the Jazz. Seven seasons of potential and some production, but mostly just injuries. Looking at Utah’s roster during his rookie year, the only one remaining is Derrick Favors. That’s actually not so bad; lots of teams’ longest-tenured player has only been around for three or four years. But man, seeing some of these names, it’s insane. Earl Watson, for one. Raja Bell, for another. Jamaal Tinsley? He sucked that year, and the Jazz kept him around for two more anyway. DeMarre Carroll was busy being misused, as was Enes Kanter. Blake Ahearn, free throw god of the D-League, made an appearance. I don’t think I’m ever gonna get to do highlights of that dude, and that makes me sad.
Enough reminscing. Let’s go to the present. Burks dropped 28 points tonight, and if that seems like a lot, that’s because it is. For reference, the last time Burks scored this many points was all the way back in January of 2014. Almost four years ago now. Real talk: he looks WAY older now. The thumbnail bears little resemblence to the Burks I remember from when I first started this channel.
With all the injuries he’s had over the years, it’s great to see him still out there, performing. The fearsome athleticism he used to possess is diminished a bit, but if he can keep hitting threes, he can still have a decent career. First step, though, is to play over 1000 minutes in a season again. No more injuries.