3. Trey Burke
Life is crazy. To be completely honest, I never thought I’d find myself writing an NBA headline about Trey Burke the NBA player. The Michigan player? Definitely. Burke was a stud in college. However, he’s been rather mediocre throughout his years in the NBA. But, here we are. The NBA is weird, unpredictable and beautiful, all at once — just ask Trey Burke.
Burke had the night of his career against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. Whereas he’s struggled to keep himself on a roster over the last few years, he’ll have no problem staying with the Knicks after his contributions against Charlotte. Burke totaled a career-high 42 points and 12 rebounds. In typical Knicks fashion, they still lost the game. However, Burke was phenomenal. The former Michigan breakout star put on one of the season’s best mid-range shooting performances as he shot 19-for-31. No, he didn’t get most of his points from beyond the arc or the free-throw line, Burke did it the old fashioned way.
At age 25, there’s still time for Burke to save his career. Whereas he struggled to find his place in the league over his first few seasons, it seems as if he’s found a home in New York. If not, he’s put up performances good enough to land him on another roster somewhere else. He’s averaged 12.4 points, 4.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game this year. While that stat line may not be the best of his career, his shooting percentage has gotten a significant boost. Over his first four seasons, Burke shot anywhere from 35-45 percent from the field. But this season, he’s shooting 52 percent. Could his 42-point performance be a career turning point?