The Burks Effect will not be lost
Veteran has been one of few voices of wisdom for young players
SAN FRANCISCO » It’s impossible to know how long Alec Burks’ tenure with the Warriors will last. He could opt to return this offseason when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. He could sign elsewhere. He could even become a trade chip for the Warriors later this season.
Regardless of how long Burks’ time with Golden State lasts, the impact he has made on this particular iteration of the Warriors will not soon be forgotten.
Burks, who’s in his ninth NBA season, is currently the Warriors’ only healthy player older than 26. With Golden State’s roster loaded with first-, second- and third-year players, he has been an invaluable resource for the youth movement.
“I love his approach,” said coach Steve Kerr. “No nonsense. No drama. Comes to work every day. Joy to be around. The young guys look up to him.”
It’s not just the length of Burks’ career that makes him so qualified to play the role of leader, although that is a significant part of the equation. Rather, Burks, 28, notes that he has “seen everything in the NBA,” for better and for worse.
In October 2014, Burks signed a four-year, $42 million extension with the Utah Jazz. At one point, he thought he’d be there long-term, but injuries derailed Burks’ upwards trajectory right as he began to enter his prime.
Two months after signing that extension, Burks suffered a seasonending shoulder injury. Over the next two seasons, he played 73 combined games due to various ailments.
Burks’ return to health coincided with the beginning of the Donovan Mitchell-era in Utah. With Mitchell taking center stage and Utah assembling a litany of wings, Burks received
fewer and fewer minutes.
Last season, Burks was traded twice, bouncing from Utah to Cleveland to Sacramento. With the Kings, Burks averaged less than 10 minutes per game and received a slew of DNPs.
Those types of fiveyear stretches have the potential to permanently crush NBA careers, but Burks is in the midst of a renaissance. Through 14 games, he’s averaging a career-high 14.9 points. He has five 20+ point games this season, including a 29-point flurry against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Those scoring outbursts are somewhat surprising given recent history — Burks averaged 7.9 points over his last three seasons prior to joining Golden State — but he sees his production as a continuation of what he did in Utah before his string of injuries.
“I’m just glad I can show it,” Burks said.
This resurgence may not have happened had Burks not had a change of heart.
Burks initially signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason, but reversed course and signed with the Warriors. Given how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Terrance Ferguson and other wings have played so far in OKC, Burks would likely have a much smaller role there than he does with the Warriors..
“It wasn’t nothing against OKC,” Burks said. “There was great people and everything. I just wanted to be around this environment every day.”
That environment Burks speaks of has been bolstered by his presence. With the Warriors suffering a season as gloomy as this one, veterans like Burks become all the more important.
In Kerr’s eyes, it’s not experience alone that makes Burks’ role as veteran such a natural fit. Rather, it’s Burks’ professionalism and demeanor that have been such positive attributes.
“He’s definitely been through quite a bit,” Kerr said. “But I think more than anything, it’s your personality, it’s what kind of human being you are that leads to becoming a mentor and a leader for younger players. I think Alec is naturally a steadying force because of who he is.”