The Journey of Deonte Burton and his arrival to the OKC Thunder

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Deonte Burton, OKC Thunder (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Man amongst boys

There is much debate whether the NBA Summer League reveals potential stars or not as many of the SL MVP’s have failed to take the next step in the NBA. However, for Burton, this was a terrific chance to showcase his skills.

And he made it count.

In his game of the tournament, Burton posted 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in the 87-85 win over the Orlando Magic. This included three monster dunks and a game-winning floater over the outstretched arms of Orlando’s defenders.

While it is SL, Burton’s ability to athletically dominate opposing players of any size, handle the ball, shoot the rock and come up big in the clutch stood tall among any players at the tournament. Burton ended his impressive three-day stint averaging 10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and three assists in 20.6 minutes of action.

Soon after the tournament, OKC presented Burton with a two-way deal to further investigate his development.

https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1015743487717793792

As a stand out from the tournament, this was an absolute no-brainer and set the table for what OKC would eventually get is a diamond in the rough.

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