Big-time NBA bust thanks his renewed faith for saving his career
For a player to be drafted in the top ten of the NBA Draft, they often need to exhibit some modicum of skill and talent.
When a top-ten pick fails, and is labeled a bust, there’s usually good reason. Injuries, lack of desire and collegiate skills not fully translating to the NBA level are all viable explanations when a prospect falters in the pros.
For the No. 9 overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, Trey Burke, there wasn’t a clear-cut reason for his NBA shortcomings. He was relatively healthy, by all accounts he competed hard and his athleticism and speed both translated to the modern NBA.
Despite all of that, Burke flamed out rather quickly.
The former Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards player averaged just over 10 points per game while shooting a paltry 39 percent from the field during his first four years in the league. Across the board, his numbers fell each season. The Michigan Wolverines product seemed destined to follow Patrick O’Bryant and Ike Diogu as recent NBA failures who were picked ninth in the draft.
After starting the 2018 NBA season as a free agent, Burke was eventually picked up by the woeful New York Knicks. For many, it was an afterthought of a move that was greeted with a collective shrug from NBA fans. With the Knicks very much on the outside of the playoff picture, it made sense to give Burke, who’s still only just 25, a long look.
“You’re not mathematically out of any playoff race, but realistically, what are we, (7.5) games behind with (21) to go, so that’s probably not going to happen,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters Saturday after the team’s 121-112 loss to the Boston Celtics, per ESPN. “So continue to play as hard as you can and get these young guys some minutes.”
Burke, for his part, has taken it upon himself to answer the call. He has scored 26 points in each of hist last two games while shooting a combined 54 percent. As a result, it’s been the best two-game stretch of his career. And yes, the sample size is tiny, but Burke seems more confident and aggressive than he has at any other point in his career.
The big reason why? Burke credits all of his success to his new place in life and his renewed faith in God.
“I’m living better,” Burke said. “Now, being married, not being out partying and being more focused and more locked in on my assignment each and every day — which, right now, is a 25-year-old man in basketball. My faith helps me perform at a better level.”
“I feel like I kind of lost (my faith) when I first got to the NBA,” he also admitted.
It’s a peace of mind that has brought Burke to an almost meditative point in his career.
“I didn’t choose to come here. I really in my heart feel like I heard Him telling me to come here,” Burke said. “Because I was a free agent and it didn’t make sense in the natural eye because you have these opportunities (to play in the NBA) right now. Why wouldn’t you go to OKC? But it makes sense because I know what type of platform comes with being a New York Knick. … This is the biggest market in the world.”
But for Burke, he doesn’t want the massive New York platform to promote his brand or anything as self-absorbed as that. He wants to help people.
“I (told my agent), ‘I want to go to New York.’ And I wanted to do that for the Lord. … I wanted to come to New York because I feel like this is a city where I can help a lot of people,” said Burke. He also doesn’t seem that worried about any possible criticism or backlash for wearing his rejuvenated faith on his sleeve.
“I know there’s a lot of athletes that want to talk about it but don’t talk about it because they’re hesitant about it. They worry about how it comes off. They worry about what other people think about them,” Burke said. “To me, I’m not worried anymore. I don’t want to deny him anymore. I’m at a point now where I want people to know who the real Trey Burke is.”
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