Deonte “Reading Rainbow” Burton is just the latest in a long string, spanning multiple seasons, of shooting guards that the Oklahoma City Thunder have tried to fool us into thinking are “starting-quality”. Just like previous SG experiments, Deonte Burton has now had a good game where he looked completely legit. A game where he looked like a great complementary piece for Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and company.
Just this year, the Thunder haved tried Terrance Ferguson, Alex Abrines, and Hamidou Diallo at the position. All three of those guys have had decent games, but have not been able to put together a consistent run of play good enough to firmly secure the starting SG spot. Now Burton’s name is officially in the ring, even though he’s shooting below 30% from three this season and is a 25-year-old rookie.
I fully expect Burton to get the start for the next three or four games as a reward for his strong play in this game. Then, when he turns back into a pumpkin and only scores four or six PPG on poor percentages, it will be back to the bench for him and somebody else will get their turn again. I don’t really want to be that pessimistic towards him, but if I know anything about the Thunder, it’s that they’ll never, ever, EVER have a legitimately starting-quality shooting guard on the team. EVER. Unless you count Dion Waiters (I personally do not count him). Mr. Reading Rainbow is probably not going to change that.