NBA Draft Profiles: Alec Burks, Colorado

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Stats: 20.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.6 t/o's, 29.2% 3PT, 82.4% FT

Age: 19, sophomore

Size:

• Listed: 6'6", 195 lb
• Official: 6'5" (no shoes), 6'6" (with shoes), 6'10" (wingspan), 8'7.5" (reach), 193 lb

Strengths: Burks is at his best when he is slashing to the basket. He is, for lack of a less cliched word, a shot creator. He can get to the rim going either direction and has q quick first step and long strides that make him a nightmare to try and stay in front of. When he gets into the paint, he has the explosiveness to finished around the rim. He needs to add strength to finish better through contact, however. Burks is also a better ball-handler and distributor than you would think for someone described by Draft Express as a "smooth yet explosive slasher" that averaged over 20 points per game. He is willing and capable of finding an open man, and he has the handle to run the pick and roll and bring the ball up in transition. Burks is more than just a scorer as well. He is probably the best rebounder of the perimeter players in this draft not named Kawhi Leonard or Travis Leslie. He also projects as a very good defender with his size, length, athleticism, and ability to play in the passing lanes.

Weaknesses: The biggest weakness in Burks' game right now is his shooting ability. He shot just 29.2% from beyond the arc this past season -- down from 35.2% on fewer attempts as a freshman. He's even worse in pull-up situations, although some of that can be attributed to the role he played for the Buffaloes. He had to create the majority of his scoring opportunities at Colorado as the Buffs really had only two offensive options. As a result, teams started to send multiple players to help side when he put the ball on the floor, forcing him to take some tough pull-ups. He doesn't have great from on this shot, has he has a tendency to fade and shoot without squaring his shoulders.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Poor man's Brandon Roy. Like Roy, Burks has terrific size for a guard with his skill set. I think Roy is a better playmaker than Burks will become, but they both have the same kind of scoring ability. I also like the comparison with Eddie Jones, although I think both of those comparison assume that Burks will improve his ability to shoot the basketball.


• Worst Case Scenario: The consensus seems to be Marquis Daniels. I think its fair, both in production and style of play. If Burks is unable to better his shooting stroke and can't put on much more strength on his frame, it will be tough for him to become more than just a role player at the next level.

Outlook: Burks is a very intriguing prospect. He was a no-name coming out of high school. He's young for his age -- he won't turn 20 until July, which actually makes him younger than Tristan Thompson, who is a grade below him -- and hit a late growth spurt that took him from a 6'3" high school senior to a 6'6" college sophomore. Combine that with the significant improvement that he has shown over the past two seasons, and it should be safe to assume that Burks still has quite a bit of developing to do. Clearly, he needs to get better shooting the ball, as his defense and ability to slash should already be enough to be effective in the league. And while he has struggled with that aspect of his game in college, the fact that he shoots 82.4% from the free throw line indicates that with an increased focus as a pro, it will improve. The NBA is a league for guys that can create their own shot, and Burks certainly can do that. Combine that with his ability to defend, and there is no doubt a spot for him in the NBA, possibly as a starter down the road.

Draft Range: Late Lottery to Mid 1st Round

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "He is a great athlete with a smoothness to his game that is really elusive. He has the ability to snake in and out of defenders and is a terrific finisher at the rim. He made several dunks in the workout on Thursday that were "wow" moments. Questions about his jump shot have been the biggest concern for NBA scouts. He shot the ball well on Thursday both from midrange and from 3. It's still an area that needs improvement, but his form is pretty good. I think it's fixable. One scout in attendance on Thursday compared him to DeMar DeRozan -- a great athlete who will make a living slashing to the basket even without a great jump shot. DeRozan may be more explosive than Burks, but Burks has a fluidity to his game that DeRozan still lacks and, at this point in the process, Burks is the better shooter."


• Draft Express: "One area of his game in which scouts surely would have liked to see more progress this season is his jump shot. He doesn't take (or make) many 3-pointers—he's just 21 of 69 on the season from this range--but he is streaky from mid-range too, a place many Big 12 teams have forced him to operate from by taking away the paint with help-side defense. Burks has converted just 54 of 184 (29%) jumpers this season, largely due to his struggles shooting off the dribble (30 of 118, or 25%)."


• Swish Scout: "Versatile scorer who loves to attack the rim and can get to the free throw line, but can make the defender pay for playing off by knocking down the midrange jumper. Burks is the best pure SG available in 2011 and a very good rebounding on the wing as well, but needs to fill out his body and extend his shooting range to the NBA 3."

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