NBA Draft 2013: LeBron James, Chris Paul Gave Advice to Trey Burke

Former Michigan Wolverines star Trey Burke was the best player in college basketball and starred for one of the best teams in college basketball, and the point guard could be the best prospect in the 2013 NBA Draft. General Managers across the league are taking notice of Burke as a No. 1 pick, but it is more likely that Burke ends up falling somewhere later on in the top five. There are some height concerns regarding Burke, and he ended up measuring out at 6’1″ at the 2013 NBA Draft Combine.

Burke told MLive.com’s Nick Baumgardner that he received some draft-related advice from two of the biggest superstars in the NBA in the Miami Heat’s LeBron James and a PG in Los Angeles Clippers floor general Chris Paul. Burke said that LeBron reached out to him following the Final Four loss to the eventual champions in the Louisville Cardinals, “(He) just told me it’s time to work hard. This will probably be the busiest summer of my life, and I’m excited about it. … He let me know I had a great season, but now it’s time to get on the grind.”

Paul gave some more expanded advice to Burke on the NBA, “He said, when he got to the league, don’t look at the LeBrons and Kobe (Bryants) as LeBrons and Kobes. See them as regular players. That was the point in time where I was like ‘OK, I need to have that type of mentality.’ If not, they’re going to run all over me. … Those guys are great players, but if you don’t go out there with a sense of confidence, then you don’t have a chance.”

That sounds like incredible advice from Paul, because the first step is generating self-confidence and not being overwhelmed by a star player like Kobe Bryant. I remember listening to an interview on ESPN Radio where a young player (it may have been Stephen Curry or Gordon Hayward back when they were rookies) basically said the same thing about going up against stars in this league.