OKC Thunder add backcourt depth via journeyman Alec Burks
By Alex Mcewen
The OKC Thunder continue to fill roster gaps in NBA free agency adding backcourt depth via journey shooting guard Alec Burks.
As the free agency period was approaching, the OKC Thunder were expected to be quiet. Thus far, the team has made some noise. First, they re-signed Nerlens Noel. Then they inked Mike Muscala, Sam Presti’s latest move was to add point guard, Alec Burks.
The addition of Burks could help the Thunder in various different ways. Although a shooting guard he’s a capable playmaker who could offer insurance should Presti move current backup Dennis Schroder. Or Burks could serve as an upgrade over aging veteran Raymond Felton. The Thunder have historically favored playing three-guard lineups. Therefore, the Burks signing does not guarantee Schroder’s or Felton’s departure.
The Thunder are signing guard Alec Burks, according to a league source. A 6-foot-6 ball-handling guard with a career 35.5 percentage from 3 that will help boost their second unit rotation.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) July 1, 2019
Player Specifics:
- Height: 6-6
- Weight: 214
- Age: 27
- College: University of Colorado
- Home Town: Grandview, Missouri
- Career Points Per Game: 9.5
- Career Assists Per Game: 1.7
- Career Turnovers Per Game: 1.3
- Career High, Points: 34
Mike Muscala and Alec Burks will not get the Thunder over the top. What they will do is make the bench deeper and (hopefully) knock down a couple of threes a game. In that sense, they seem like very solid signings to me.
— Matt Ravis (@mattravis) July 1, 2019
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2PA | 2P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | UTA | 59 | 0 | 15.9 | 6.1 | .429 | 0.8 | .333 | 5.3 | .442 | 2.4 | .727 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 7.2 |
| 2012-13 | UTA | 64 | 0 | 17.8 | 6.1 | .420 | 1.4 | .359 | 4.6 | .439 | 2.0 | .713 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 7.0 |
| 2013-14 | UTA | 78 | 12 | 28.1 | 10.7 | .457 | 1.8 | .350 | 8.8 | .480 | 4.8 | .748 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 14.0 |
| 2014-15 | UTA | 27 | 27 | 33.3 | 11.1 | .403 | 2.5 | .382 | 8.6 | .409 | 4.8 | .822 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 13.9 |
| 2015-16 | UTA | 31 | 3 | 25.7 | 10.8 | .410 | 2.5 | .405 | 8.2 | .412 | 4.5 | .752 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 13.3 |
| 2016-17 | UTA | 42 | 0 | 15.5 | 5.9 | .399 | 1.8 | .329 | 4.1 | .430 | 1.9 | .769 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 6.7 |
| 2017-18 | UTA | 64 | 1 | 16.5 | 6.5 | .411 | 2.2 | .331 | 4.3 | .452 | 1.9 | .863 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 7.7 |
| 2018-19 | TOT | 64 | 24 | 21.5 | 7.4 | .405 | 2.6 | .363 | 4.8 | .428 | 2.2 | .823 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 8.8 |
| 2018-19 | UTA | 17 | 0 | 15.8 | 6.7 | .412 | 2.5 | .372 | 4.2 | .437 | 2.2 | .868 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 8.4 |
| 2018-19 | CLE | 34 | 24 | 28.8 | 10.0 | .400 | 3.5 | .378 | 6.5 | .412 | 2.9 | .806 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 11.6 |
| 2018-19 | SAC | 13 | 0 | 9.8 | 1.5 | .450 | 0.5 | .000 | 1.1 | .643 | 0.4 | .800 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.7 |
| Career | 429 | 67 | 21.1 | 7.8 | .423 | 1.9 | .355 | 5.9 | .445 | 2.9 | .771 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 9.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/1/2019.
About Alec Burks
Burks is in the proverbial prime of his career, as an eight-year NBA vet, Burks has a decent amount of experience, but he has not yet entered the twilight years of his career, such as Felton. Burks does not possess an abundance of playoff experience, but he was a member of the 2017-18 Utah Jazz team that bounced the OKC Thunder in the quarter-finals.
The OKC Thunder are signing Alec Burks via Royce Young. Burks was teammates with Andre Roberson in college. Alec’s a good 3 point shooter and will definitely help that shooting on the second unit. When Burks was on the Jazz he always have OKC problems. Great Pickup ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
— SneakerReporter (@SneakerReporter) July 1, 2019
For his career, Burks is a 35.5 percent 3-point shooter. However, during the 2018-19 campaign, Burks shot 37.2 percent from the perimeter with the Jazz, and he connected on 37.8 percent of his treys in 37 appearances for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Versus the Thunder, Burks has had many good games, but his best came on October 30, 2013; when he scored 24-points, on 8-16, 50% shooting, in a two-point Jazz loss.
Will this be a good signing?
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Overall, there is no evidence to believe Burks will not work out. He has been a backup for the duration of his career. Hence, he should have no problem continuing to come off the bench. Furthermore, OKC’s bench needed upgrades, because lack of depth hurt Oklahoma City in the post-season for two reasons.
Foremost, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Steven Adams, workloads in regular season wore them down. So they were already gassed and injured once the playoff began.
Secondly, Oklahoma City’s rotation shrunk to nine, and at times only eight players versus Portland in the first-round. This was a decision made because of necessity, due to the fact OKC’s bench played themselves off the floor.
The acquisition of Burks will give Oklahoma City needed depth, and perhaps create a position battle during training camp between himself, and other Thunder reserve guards like Jawun Evans.
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