Philadelphia 76ers: Alec Burks deserves expanded role upon return

The Philadelphia 76ers need to take advantage of their trade deadline acquisition.

Back when basketball still existed, the Philadelphia 76ers traded a bundle of second-round picks to acquire Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III from the Golden State Warriors. Not the flashiest trade by any stretch, but an important one nonetheless. Philadelphia needed depth on the perimeter, and both are functional rotation pieces.

Since joining the Sixers, neither Burks nor Robinson have had a particularly big impact. The Sixers have worked both into the rotation slowly. Brett Brown has a clear tendency to lean on players he already knows — Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle — which has made it difficult for the former Warriors to establish consistent roles.

When basketball returns some day in the distant future, assuming the Sixers still have Burks and Robinson under contract when that time comes, Brown should make a greater effort to integrate both into the rotation — Burks especially.

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Burks is probably the most valuable player in the second unit outside Al Horford (who presumably will return to the bench once Ben Simmons is cleared to play). One could argue Milton has earned that title, but I’m of the opinion Milton should start in Horford’s place. Let’s assume Brown acknowledges Milton’s meteoric rise and rewards him with a starting role.

The Sixers need players who can a) space the floor and b) pressure the defense. For the longest time, Philadelphia has lacked players who can work in live-dribble situations and create their own offense . Burks checks both boxes — it’s why the Sixers traded for him.

Not only can Burks hit threes at a healthy rate, but he’s a decent secondary playmaker who can run the pick-and-roll, exploit slower defenders, and hit pull-up jumpers. Few teams need offensive variety more than the Sixers, and Burks is a painfully obvious agent of change. He has already flashed much-needed dynamism in the second unit.

This isn’t a case of Philadelphia not using Burks. He has averaged 20.2 minutes per game since moving to the east coast. It’s more a matter of giving Burks a more consistent role — a slight uptick in minutes, as well as a greater hand in the second unit offense. Burks is a fairly ideal complement to Ben Simmons in smaller, more up-tempo groups.

In Golden State, Burks averaged a career-high 16.1 points per game and shot 37.5 percent on 4.7 three-point attempts per game. Inflation is a factor — Burks was one of the only veterans on a piteous roster — but even on the league’s worst team, that’s an impressive combination of numbers. It’s clear Burks can carry a significant role, score with relative efficiency, and on a more talented roster, contribute to winning.

To put this argument simply, Burks should be more than an afterthought in Philadelphia’s second unit. He’s a better player than Thybulle and Korkmaz, not to mention Robinson and Mike Scott. Burks should be treated as such.