Trey Burke Will Be Biggest Surprise Pick in Top 5 of NBA Draft

There are plenty of electric and athletic prospects in the 2013 NBA draft, but Trey Burke will be taken earlier than anticipated and be a top five pick on June 27th.

Yes, there are guys like Victor Oladipo and Antony Bennett who will be making their own cases for why they should be picked in the top five, but Burke’s name has a very good chance of being called and shocking plenty of people.

The No. 1 overall pick will likely be Nerlens Noel or Otto Porter. Assuming that the draft order stays the same, we can look down the line to see where Burke could go.

The Orlando Magic have the No. 2 overall pick and are in a spot to take a guy like Ben McLemore. However, their top priority at the moment is at the point guard position, where Burke could come in and make an immediate impact.

At No. 3, the Washington Wizards already have a young backcourt with John Wall and Bradley Beal leading the way. The Charlotte Bobcats have plenty of youth in their backcourt as well at No. 4, so neither of these seem to be a realistic spot.

The Phoenix Suns had both Goran Dragic and Shannon Brown last season, but neither of them are the game-changer that Burke could be for this team. The No. 5 overall pick could be another possible landing spot for Burke.

So, Burke could potentially go No. 2 or No. 5 in this draft, but why would these teams want to take him?

First off, the numbers for Burke were outstanding last season with the Michigan Wolverines. He averaged 18.6 points and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. His outstanding sophomore season led to him being awarded with the Wooden Award for the Player of the Year.

Offensively, Burke is a complete point guard. He is capable of shooting the long-ball, can drive into the lane and get open with or without the ball. He knows when to take the shot and when to dish it to the open man. He understands when to pick up the tempo and when to slow it down, and he can truly run an offense at the NBA level.

The biggest concern with Burke is his size. Listed at 6’1’’ with a 6’5’’ wingspan, Burke will be unable to match up in size with most point guards in the NBA. However, he makes up for it with nice athleticism and decent arm length to help him on both sides of the ball.

After watching him in the NCAA tournament, the one thing you can’t question Burke on is his ability to make clutch shots.

Teams tend to shy away from shorter players, but Burke has to be an exception. He has the perfect skill set for an overall impressive point guard, especially on the offensive side of the ball. A team like the Magic with such a pressing need for a point guard would likely take a chance on a player of his caliber if it meant they could have a long-term fix at the position for the next five to 10 years.

A lot of people think that Burke can be a top 10 pick, but a team like the Magic or Suns will surprise plenty of people when they select Burke in the top five. 

There are plenty of prospects to choose from, but the level of talent from Burke isn’t something you get every day at the point guard position.