This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
A month ago, the question of where Alec Burks would play in the Utah Jazz lineup once he returned from injury was a valid one.
It was a valid question. The Utah Jazz were stacked at the wing spots — Burks' natural position — making his integration into a lineup that was rolling look to be a tricky one.
A little over a month later, there is an answer.
Burks is settling into a role as a utility player off the bench for the Jazz. With Utah struggling at the backup point guard spot, Burks has played that position during games. Most importantly, Jazz coach Quin Snyder has found a way to get him into the playing rotation, without sacrificing someone else's minutes.
"Coach runs an offense that's positionless," Burks said. "We run a lot of motion, and we're able to play off of each other. So in that way, the offense has been good for me."
Burks is averaging a little under seven points per game so far this season. He's played in 14 games without a start, and is playing almost 13 minutes per game. But since he's been playing regular minutes, he's started to blossom.
He's scored in double-digits in four of his past five games, including a 15-point outing last week against the Memphis Grizzlies. He's showcasing the athletic ability and the ability to create that the Jazz front office felt would mesh with some of the other wings on the team.
Burks is still not all the way back. He still gets fatigued a bit in short order. The ankle that took more than a year and multiple surgeries to come back from still gets sore at times. But the main thing is for the most part, he's healthy enough to contribute. His athleticism and explosion seem to be all the way back. And he's playing better as time progresses.
"I'm still trying to get back to my old self," Burks said. "But this has definitely been a step in the right direction."
Jazz fans have seen him before
On Wednesday, center Miles Plumlee played for the Milwaukee Bucks in Salt Lake City against the Jazz. On Thursday, he was traded to Charlotte for Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes, making way for Plumlee to play in Salt Lake again against the Jazz.
Plumlee entered the game off the bench and scored four points in 11 minutes in Saturday's first half. He grabbed six rebounds.
Big man Favors back on court
Jazz forward Derrick Favors made his return to the lineup on Saturday, coming off the bench after resting the past two games to ease the strain on his knees. Boris Diaw started at power forward, while Favors came on in relief of Diaw and also filled in at center when Rudy Gobert was resting.
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