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Trey Burke wants to be the starting point guard of the Utah Jazz. Coach Quin Snyder is OK with this. In fact, Snyder would question him if he didn't want to be the starter.
Still, Burke is coming off Snyder's bench because the Jazz desperately need scoring punch in their second unit, a decision that hasn't always sat well with him. But the former lottery pick out of Michigan has never whined or complained. And now, it looks like he's getting used to his role, even thriving in it.
In Utah's 89-79 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, Burke was arguably the best offensive player on the floor. He scored a game-high 24 points before 19,456 at Vivint Smart Home Arena, and did it efficiently, shooting 8-16 from the field.
Those were game-changing numbers on its face, and it was certainly a game-altering performance. Without Burke, the Jazz would've struggled to attain their fourth win of the season.
"I think he's just been really efficient offensively," Snyder said. "It shows up readily when you look at his shooting numbers. But there's a part of it that you don't see, whether it's in a timeout or at the free-throw line. I think he's just really focused on trying to do every little thing that he can do to help the team win and be a good player."
Burke's night was explosive offensively. He made a career-high six 3-pointers. He consistently got into the lane and caused a good Memphis team issues defensively. He made almost every open look from the perimeter.
His shooting provided coveted spacing for the Jazz offense, and his teammates took advantage. Gordon Hayward scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out four assists. Power forward Derrick Favors - recovering from the flu - turned in a monster performance with 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Rudy Gobert blocked four shots and grabbed 11 rebounds and the Jazz held Memphis frontcourt mates Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to 9-26 combined shooting, a startling statistic.
"I was just trying to be aggressive," Burke said. "Coach told me to take the shots they give me. My teammates did a great job of finding me, and I was able to knock some shots down. To me, it's all about winning, I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win."
A furious Memphis rally made this a close game down the stretch, too close for comfort when Mike Conley knocked home a 3-pointer to close the Grizzlies within 84-79.
But for the vast majority of the night, Utah was dominant on both ends. The Jazz defense squeezed Memphis on the perimeter and in the lane, bothering the shooters and locking down the paint. Offensively, Utah's ball-movement in the first three quarters proved sublime. The Jazz got into the lane, pitched out to open shooters and knocked down 12-27 from 3-point range.
This performance reached blowout status early in the fourth quarter when Joe Ingles hit a three to give Utah an 80-59 advantage.
However, the offense then went dry. The defense stopped producing stops, and Memphis went on a 13-0 run to get back into the game.
"I think the level of the game and the physicality raised and we got sloppy," Snyder said. "There was a stretch there where I thought we had some opportunities to convert some things and we didn't take advantage of them. That's a really good team."
The Grizzlies — with the loss — fall to 3-4 on the season. It's been a tough week for one of the better teams in the Western Conference. Memphis recently lost to the Golden State Warriors by 50 points.
"We just have to play harder," Randolph said. "It's tough right now, but we have to get back to playing Grizzlies basketball."
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