This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Alec Burks doesn't think his conditioning and his timing is back to peak form. He also thinks he has ways to go defensively, and lamented missing a few open shots on Saturday night.
Still, he admitted the performance in Utah's 109-100 win over the Indiana Pacers was his best of the season. He resembled the guy the Jazz were hoping for as their sixth man during the preseason.
"I was just out there trying to be aggressive," Burks said. "Being out for so long, it's hard to get back into the rhythm, but I'm getting there. I feel like I'm getting better. I feel more comfortable with my teammates. I'm making progress."
Burks scored 13 points on 5-8 shooting from the field. He scored nine of those points in the first half, and also grabbed four rebounds.
That was valuable contribution for the Jazz against the Pacers. The night after an overtime victory at the Dallas Mavericks, Utah needed someone to come in off the bench, push the ball in transition and put stress on Indiana's defense.
Burks was able to do that, making his first three shots from the field, two layups and a 3-pointer. In 19 minutes, he was aggressive in almost every scenario. He played well enough to earn closing minutes in the fourth quarter.
"The guy that's just attacking the rim, bringing some energy for us, pushing the ball in transition and making shots somehow that I don't even know if he sees the rim," Utah forward Gordon Hayward said. "It's great to have him back out there. We're excited for him."
What Burks did on Saturday night was provide a scoring punch from the wing spot off the bench. Against the Phoenix Suns last Monday night, and against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, that guy was Joe Johnson.
Against the Pacers, it was Burks who provided that element. He was the only double-figure scorer off the bench for the Jazz, offering offensive support for Hayward, George Hill and Rudy Gobert. Burks scored over 10 points for the first time this season, and his minute total represented a season-high.
"We went into the game knowing that Alec's reached a point where he's making steps and can play for longer stretches," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "He looked comfortable in the first half, so we decided to keep playing him. I thought he looked a little tired in the second half. But I feel like when he shoots the ball, it's going in. I also thought he played better on the defensive end."
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