Trey Burke of the Utah Jazz made his long-awaited NBA debut on Wednesday night. When his teammates took the court to warm up, they played a little trick on him:
Rookie guards Trey Burke and Shane Larkin make NBA debuts
At long last, point guards Trey Burke and Shane Larkin returned to the court this week.
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Things got better for the No. 9 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft after that, as Burke scored 11 points on 5-8 shooting and added one rebound, one assist, one steal and no turnovers in 11 minutes of action. Burke, obviously excited to get back on the court, was limited to two short spurts on the orders of Utah's medical staff and admitted his surgically repaired finger was still a bit sore, via Jody Genessy of the Deseret News:
Trey Burke on playing first NBA game: "Going to that scorer’s table, it was like, 'Wow! I’m really here...my debut.' Definitely excitement."
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) November 21, 2013 Trey Burke's surgically repaired finger is a bit sore, but he feels good. Corbin hopes rookie's time limitation will be increased Friday.
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) November 21, 2013 The Jazz hit the road to play against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday and Burke could see more playing time in his second outing. Utah head coach Tyrone Corbin was impressed and encouraged by how comfortable the rookie point guard looked on Wednesday, via Genessy:
“I thought he did great. I thought he looked in tune and ready to get the ball in his hands,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “Unfortunately, we were restricted with the minutes for him and had to take him out. But he felt good, he looked good, so I’m happy for him.”
The 1-12 Jazz need all the help they can get as they try to turn their season around, with Gordon Hayward being listed as a game-time decision in Dallas.
Burke may see some time against fellow rookie Shane Larkin on Friday. The Mavericks point guard needed surgery on his ankle after suffering an injury just before the start of summer league and finally made his return this week. Larkin, the No. 18 overall pick, had three points, three rebounds and three assists in his team's win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday and his family was on hand to witness it. Like Burke, he was thrilled to be back and his coach was pleased with his effort, via Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas:
"I felt good," said Larkin, the 18th overall pick in the draft. "I don't feel like I'm back in my rhythm yet, but just to get out there was an amazing experience. I'm living my dream. I was out there smiling the whole night."
...Added Dallas coach Rick Carlisle: "I thought he did well considering. This is the beginning of a process, but I like what he did."
Larkin's minutes jumped from nine to 17 in his second game, Dallas' 123-120 comeback win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. He scored eight points on 3-5 shooting, adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Larkin shot 2-3 from behind the three-point line, but turned the ball over four times. It's early, but it already looks like he will be a part of Carlisle's rotation.
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