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Trey Burke confident Utah Jazz can make playoffs next season

By Josh Criswell

Oct 29, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke (3) dribbles the ball in front of Houston Rockets guard Isaiah Canaan (0) during the second half at EnergySolutions Arena. The Rockets won 104-93. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke (3) dribbles the ball in front of Houston Rockets guard Isaiah Canaan (0) during the second half at EnergySolutions Arena. The Rockets won 104-93. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Trey Burke is extremely confident in the young talent on his Utah Jazz squad, and he believes they are capable of being a playoff team in 2016.

Trey Burke has excelled this season despite taking a backseat to rookie standout Dante Exum, averaging 10.9 points and 4.4 assists per game while serving as the sixth man for a very young and very talented Utah Jazz team.

After starting in all but two games during his rookie campaign, Burke has only started 43 games this season and has been coming off of the bench as of late. The 22-year old point guard has embraced his new role, though, and apparently is very confident in the bright future of this Jazz team.

Burke told Basketball Insiders:

"“Yes, the West is brutal, but we definitely think we can [make the playoffs]. We’ve beaten a lot of the top teams in the NBA. At the same time, we’ve lost a lot of games as well, but we know we can beat pretty much anyone with the team and the talent we have. Next year, we’ll have Alec Burks coming back. We think it will be a great year for us.”"

Making the playoffs in the daunting Western Conference is a tall order for any team, especially one as inexperienced as the Jazz. However, Burke’s confidence in his team despite losing his starting job shows maturity beyond his years for the point guard in just his second season in the league.

This maturity is a trait of something the Jazz are going to need to take them to the next level, a leader. Burke is no stranger to leading a team, and it is something he is a natural at, whether starting or coming off the bench. He was the floor general for Utah last season, and nearly carried the Michigan Wolverines on his back to the NCAA Championship the year before that.

The Jazz are set to add another lottery pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and have the cap room to make some moves this offseason. Burke’s statement could very well ring true if they continue to grow as a team while adding even more assets, especially if their rookie draft pick provides the same instant impact that Exum and Burke have.

Utah has seen an abundance of mediocrity while struggling to pose any sense of a threat since John Stockton and Karl Malone walked away over a decade ago, but this current Jazz team has great potential to make the franchise a regular fixture in the playoffs year-in and year-out once again.

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