OKC Thunder prospect Deonte Burton earning playing time

OKC Thunder two-way guard Deonte Burton has proven to be a diamond and with roster injuries his presence becomes more vital moving forward.

Depth has been one of the biggest keys for the OKC Thunder in November. And while Dennis Schroder and Nerlens Noel have carried much of the load for the bench, everybody has had a hand in winning. Not the least of which is the up-and-coming Deonte Burton.

Burton, a 24-year-old shooting guard, was signed to a two-way contract by Oklahoma City in July after playing one year in Korea. Since then, Burton earned a part-time spot with the Thunder by showing out in the summer league where he averaged over 10 points and five rebounds a game.

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Due to the nature of his two-way contract, Burton is only allotted 45 days with the team. And on top of his limited days, his playing time has been few and far between with the OKC Thunder jockeying for position at the top of the Western Conference.

But contending or rebuilding, there’s always room for more depth on any team. And OKC is no different, especially considering the number of injuries early on.

In his limited minutes, Burton has shown flashes of being a quality contributor. Given he’s already 24 years old, he’s not likely to blossom into a superstar, but another lengthy guard with athleticism and a nose for rebounds would be worth keeping around.

One of Burton’s biggest advantages is checking into games knowing he has nothing to lose. He’s going to spend time in the G-League regardless of his performance this year and nobody is expecting him to do much more than be a placeholder for Billy Donovan to throw out there in a pinch.

This situation has proven to be good for Burton, as he’s come in and earned several rounds of applause in Chesapeake Energy Arena with some high-flying dunks and hustle plays. He’s earned the right to play over 10 minutes in each of his past four appearances, including two over 20 minutes. In those games, he scored 11 points against the Hornets and eight against Denver and Cleveland.

Although the numbers aren’t staggering, he’s been just what the doctor ordered for the OKC Thunder, who’ve needed extra help with the absence of Andre Roberson, Terrance Ferguson and Hamidou Diallo.

So while we shouldn’t expect Burton to take over games, he’s on a quick path to a minimum contract and could earn more responsibility moving forward.

In the meantime, we can keep an eye on him during the other half of the season in the G-League, where he’s already played four games and averaged 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.