For a guy who spent two years at a Power 5 college conference and 12 more in the NBA, Alec Burks’ ability to roll out of bed and hang 20 points on anybody remains one of basketball’s best-kept secrets.
The Pistons didn’t get to fully exploit the wondrous scoring runs Burks is consistently capable of producing amid a season roiled by injuries early and often. But with the anticipated off-season career growth spurts coming from a young roster with several building blocks firmly in place and a little better luck on the injury front, Burks’ scoring gifts could prove vitally important – not only to the quest for winning games but to the overarching organizational priority of maximizing the careers of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and the many other young prospects the Pistons have brought on board over the past three years.
Here's a look at Burks’ past, present and future:
PROFILE: 6-foot-6 guard, 31 years old, 12 NBA seasons
2022-23 STATS: 12.8 points, 3.1 rebounds on 43.6 percent shooting and 41.4 percent 3-point shooting in 22 minutes a game over 51 games
STATUS: Burks signed a reported three-year, $30 million contract with the New York Knicks in 2021 with the third year a team option. That option now is in the hands of the Pistons, who acquired Burks along with Nerlens Noel last summer from the Knicks.
DID YOU KNOW?: Burks was a three-star recruit out of Missouri but quickly established himself as one of the nation’s top players, winning Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors at Colorado in 2010 and scoring 779 points in his sophomore season, 2010-11, which still stands as a single-season record for the Buffaloes.
A LOOK BACK: Burks spent two seasons at Colorado, averaging 17.1 and 20.5 points per game and being named to the Big 12 all-conference first team as a sophomore. He entered the 2011 NBA draft and wound up a lottery pick, drafted 12th by the Utah Jazz. Burks would spend the first 7½ seasons of his NBA career with the Jazz and establishing himself as one of the game’s best bench scorers in short order. From 2013-14 through 2015-16 Burks averaged 13.3 points or more but injuries limited him to 58 games total in the final two of those seasons. Burks was traded to Cleveland at the 2019 trade deadline in a deal that sent Kyle Korver to the Jazz, then signed that summer with Golden State. He was traded to Philadelphia at the 2020 trade deadline and then signed with the Knicks as a free agent in November 2020 ahead of the pandemic-delayed 2020-21 season. Burks has gradually become a more prolific 3-point shooter over the course of his NBA career, going from taking 12.6 percent of his shots from the 3-point line as an NBA rookie to roughly a third of his shots from there in the middle stages of his career to exceeding 50 percent in each of the past two seasons. Burks scored a career-best 16.1 points a game while a member of the Golden State Warriors in 2019-20. He’s shot better than 40 percent from the 3-point line in each of his past three seasons.
THE SEASON THAT WAS: Burks opened the season on the injured list after undergoing ankle surgery at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season while a member of the Knicks. He missed the first 12 games and debuted Nov. 11 at New York. Burks immediately transformed the Pistons bench from one of the NBA’s lowest-scoring to one of the highest-scoring units, scoring in double figures in eight of his first nine games. When the Pistons posted consecutive upset wins of Denver and Utah on back-to-back nights in late November, Burks contributed 39 points in 40 minutes of those games and hit 6 of 11 from the 3-point arc. In a Dec. 28 win over Orlando, Burks missed a 3-point shot in the final seconds to mar an otherwise-perfect night. To that point, Burks had hit all 10 of his shots – six from the 3-point arc – and all six of his free throws to contribute 32 of Detroit’s 76 bench points. He came back two nights later to score 19 points and hit 7 of 9 shots including all four of his 3-pointers. Burks excelled at drawing shooting fouls, as well. His 6.0 free throws per 36 minutes led the Pistons. Burks sat out the season’s final 17 games with left foot soreness.
A LOOK AHEAD: General manager Troy Weaver didn’t leave much room for doubt that the Pistons would pick up the option on Burks’ contract when he cited Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic as key veterans in looking to the 2023-24 season. That always seemed the likely course given the value Burks represents at $10 million – essentially, the average NBA salary. Burks’ 3-point shooting and his ability to draw fouls and create his own shot will give whoever succeeds Dwane Casey as Pistons coach an invaluable resource at the heart of the bench unit. Teams looking to clear cap space are always on the lookout for players with team options on their contracts – trade for such players, then decline the option to create space – and that means Weaver is likely to receive calls inquiring about Burks’ availability ahead of free agency. The offer would have to be compelling given the value Burks represents for the Pistons and their goals for the coming season.
MONEY QUOTE: “Burks has been doing it for a while now. He’s been scoring the ball for a while. He comes in and puts a lot of pressure on the defense in terms of they’ve got to game plan for him. Burks is a good scorer. He’s been a good scorer.” – Cory Joseph after Burks’ return transformed the Pistons bench in November