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Memphis • All summer long, Alec Burks hyped his own comeback from the shoulder injury that robbed him of most of his season a year ago.
"The Return of AB," he called it.
Now fans are awaiting word on the sequel.
It has been more than two months and 32 games since Burks' surgery to repair his fractured left fibula, and the Utah Jazz shooting guard appears to be in the final stretch of his rehabilitation.
"He's almost there, from what I've seen," Jazz center Rudy Gobert said this week.
The Jazz have not said when they expect Burks back, but the fifth-year pro has been making significant strides in recent days. Burks stayed in Salt Lake City as his teammates left for a four-game road trip east on Sunday so that he could continue his workouts.
"He's working," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said Wednesday morning. "Like today, he could have already got in a lot of work with Mark McKown [the team's director of sports science], doing strength training and a lot of flexibility work. Just the means that we have there — we're not entirely mobile. We can accomplish a lot of that on the road, but not at the same level."
Burks has been running, cutting and seeing better lift on his jump shot. The progress has the Jazz hopeful and the guard itching to get back.
"No one wants to be back more than Alec," Snyder said. "He loves the game and he loves to play. So some of it's just making sure that he's ready."
When he is, the Jazz will be waiting with open arms.
When they hosted the Toronto Raptors in mid-November, it was Burks who helped spark the comeback victory, scoring nine points in the fourth quarter, including an elbow jumper to put his team on top for good with about a minute to play. The Jazz could have used that in Wednesday night's 104-94 loss at Toronto.
Utah's wing depth has been an issue since Burks' injury. The slashing shooting guard was perhaps the Jazz's best option at getting to the rim, leading the team with 5.5 points per game off drives when he got hurt.
"Particularly against teams that pressure us," Snyder said, "he's another guy that can break that line and get to the rim and just open up the game."
Burks' work on the perimeter might be missed even more, though. He was averaging 14.3 points per game and knocking down 38.7 percent of his 3-pointers during the first 28 games of the year. Right now, backup wing Chris Johnson, who is shooting 23 percent from beyond the arc over the past 20 games, hasn't made a 3-pointer (0 for 10) since the win over Boston on Feb. 19. Reserve Joe Ingles has been shooting 27.8 percent from deep over his past 20 games.
Burks fractured his leg on a hard foul during a game on Dec. 26 and soon after opted for a surgery to hopefully expedite his return. He was expected to be out 8-10 weeks.
"We're still being patient with Alec," shooting guard Rodney Hood said. "He's coming along fine and we want to get him back healthy as possible and close to 100 percent as he can be."
Jazz officials also want to be realistic about what Burks can bring to the court once he does return. "We may not get the Alec we had in December. We certainly won't in Game 1, right?" Snyder said.
But there's no question Burks' skillset has been missed. With the Jazz in the midst of a four-game losing streak as they continue to fight for a playoff spot, the sooner Burks can return the better.
"Of course, we're excited to see that he's very close to coming back," Gobert said. "All I hope is he takes his time and when he comes back he's ready, because when he comes back he's going to be a very important player for us."
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Jazz at Grizzlies
P At FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn.
Tipoff • Friday, 6 p.m. MT
TV • ROOT
Radio • 1280 AM, 97.5 FM
About the Jazz • Have lost four straight and trail the Houston Rockets by a game and a half for eighth place in the West. … Shooting guard Rodney Hood suffered a "minor head injury" during a collision against the Raptors. His status for the game has yet to be determined. … Have allowed 100 points or more five of their eight games since returning from the All-Star break.
About the Grizzlies • Will have a different look than the last time they faced the Jazz. Center Marc Gasol is done for the year with a foot injury. Lance Stephenson and Chris Andersen were added at the trade deadline. … Have won two in a row and are 6-4 over their past 10 games. … Point guard Mike Conley averages better than 15 points and 6 assists per game.