One of the point guards on the Philadelphia 76ers training camp roster is getting a lot of positive buzz this preseason, but can he capitalize on it?
There’s been plenty of good stories early in the Philadelphia 76ers preseason. One of those stories surround journeyman point guard Trey Burke. Despite not having a fully guaranteed contract, Burke has had a lot of positive things said about him so far this training camp. Head coach Brett Brown had some major praise for Burke after the first day of training camp.
#Sixers coach Brett Brown on what he’s looking for in a backup point guard and his comments about Trey Burke’s performance at the first day of training camp. pic.twitter.com/yfJQD34b9O
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 1, 2019
Making a good impression on the head coach is a good start for any player who’s not on a fully guaranteed deal. Brown made sure to point out Burke’s main competition for the backup role in Raul Neto, but it’s clear that Burke made a stronger impression.
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Brown took it a step further and challenged Burke to be a force defensively, which Burke has accepted. If Burke can score and continues to be an irritant on defense, then it would only do good things in regards to where his future with the team stands.
Brown wasn’t the only person impressed with Burke this preseason. Teammates Ben Simmons and Al Horford have given the point guard praise. Star point guard Simmons had this to say about Burke:
"“‘Trey Burke played amazing today…He killed us in a few of the games, he was killing. He really stepped up.'”"
Unprompted, respected veteran Horford gave the following praise about the journeyman point guard:
"“‘I was really impressed with a guy like Trey Burke, came in with a lot of energy, really scoring the ball at will, just being very active…'”"
Having two members of the starting five give high praise for the reserve point guard will not only help his case to stay on the roster, but to win the backup point guard job. Besides the praise of his head coach and teammates, Burke has the resume to man the Sixers need for a quality backup point guard.
He’s played for four teams in six seasons, suiting up for the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. For his career, Burke’s averaged 10.9 points and 3.6 assists, while converting 40.8 percent of his field goals and 34.0 percent of his 3-pointers. Burke’s ability create his own shot has kept him in the NBA, but if he wants to be Simmons’ primary reserve, he will have to become more focused on the defensive end.
There’s no doubt that Burke has had a strong start to training camp for the Philadelphia 76ers. If he can continue to knock down shots and work hard on the defensive end of the ball, then he could secure himself a roster spot and a big role with Philly entering the season.