With a strong Vegas showing and preseason OKC Thunder 2-way contract Deonte Burton has people sitting up and taking notice.
OKC Thunder two-way player Deonte Burton’s basketball career reads like the script of the latest edition of NBA 2K.
His physique also screams of that of an NBA 2K created player, a 6’5’ 250 lbs guard/forward, with a game predicated on dunks, hustle, blocks, and irrational confidence.
A four star recruit out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin ranked 39 in the ESPN top 100 in the 2013 High School ratings. Burton played four years of college basketball. After two years at Marquette University, where he saw 40 games (three as a starter) and averaged 6.8 points per game, Burton transferred to Iowa State.
He would go on to start in 42 games out of 61 and average 12.8 points per game. Burton took his talents overseas after going undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft. Meanwhile, fellow teammates Monte Morris and Abdel Nader were drafted to the NBA.
A HUGE defensive stop from the @okcthunder leads to a @DeonteBurton jam!
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 10, 2018
OKC leads 106 - 104 with 18.3 remaining. Get to NBA TV for the finish! pic.twitter.com/5ExA1qviPu
In Korea, Burton earned the Foreign Player League MVP on 23.8 points per game, 3.8 assists per game, 8.7 rebounds per game, 1.6 steals and 1 block per game through 63 contests. This performance earned him a phone call from Sam Presti.
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Burton turned his summer league tryout into a two-way contract, and quickly rose to be a fan favorite for his grit and hustle. Since the NBA summer league, Burton was seen in videos at Rhico Hines playing with Paul George and Russel Westbrook.
During the pre-Season Burton averaged 5.5 points per game and two rebounds per game in 13 minutes per game. And, with the latest injury to Terrance Ferguson, on top of those by Russell Westbrook, Andre Roberson and Abdel Nader, he could receive more playing time in the teams final preseason game.
During the regular season, Burton, as a two-way player, will be able to be called up to play with the varsity team, to a maximum of 45 appearances, this includes practice days and game days.
But, playing across the street at the Cox Convention Center with the JV team, Presti and his staff will get plenty of opportunities to evaluate Burton’s growth to determine if he has what it takes to contribute on a full-time basis with the OKC Thunder.
Whether that is at the end of this season – as the OKC Thunder still have an open roster spot and may carry that throughout the season or next.
Burton has proven in his short time domestically that he belongs in the NBA. Now it is up to him and the Thunder organization to determine whether that is in Oklahoma City or elsewhere. The roof is the ceiling for Burton. Over time we’ll discover just good Deonte Burton can become.