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

G-League standout

Burton has continued his sensational form in the G-League, averaging 16.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 29.6 minutes of floor time. He’s had a number of crazy dunk highlights with none being more impressive than this facial below:

Beyond the number of highlight dunks, what sets Burton apart from his counterparts is his ability to make plays in the clutch. Like his play against the Milwaukee Bucks in preseason, the 25-year-old has lead OKC Thunder affiliate OKC Blue to victories via his shooting and playmaking.

The best example of this came against the Stockton Kings. Burton came up with the following plays:

• Down two with less than 10 seconds remaining, Burton cans a contested mid-range jumper to send the game into overtime.
• On the final possession of the game, Burton plays smothering on-ball defense to force a miss.
• Level at 116 a-piece, the 25-year-old steals the ball and gives a lead pass for an easy 2-point lay in.
• With less than 10 seconds remaining in overtime, Burton attempts to drive to the bucket, uses his body to move his defender then finds a wide-open Dez Wells for the go-ahead 3-pointer to forge OKC Blue ahead 123-120.
• On the final possession of the game, Burton blocks the Stockton Kings last shot attempt to close the game.

Burton’s domination on both sides of the ball shows that he is an NBA player. The ability to come up big in the closing moments, make shots and play strong defense sets him apart from everyone else trying to make an NBA roster.