Trey Burke Will Need Fans and Team to Be Patient as He Develops

Patience is a virtue and in some cases a necessity. After missing the first 12 games of the 2013 NBA regular season with a fractured index finger, Utah Jazz prized rookie Trey Burke is set to make his debut Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, per Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Burke had originally injured himself in Utah's third preseason game.

Fans and members of the organization are no doubt happy to see him finally hit the floor, but no one should expect to see Utah's already miserable season vastly improve because of Burke's presence. The 6'1" point guard did win the Naismith Award as the nation's best college basketball player during the 2012-13 season, but he is sure to experience some growing pains as a rookie.

He's coming back from an injury and he plays perhaps the most difficult position in the game for a young player. The early returns could be more frustrating than gleeful. Although Burke wasn't a one-and-done player at Michigan, he is still just 21 years old.

His team is off to an abysmal 1-11 start the season. The Jazz are scoring just 88.6 points per game on 41 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent accuracy from three-point range. Needless to say, Burke isn't going to be surrounded with a ton of offensive weapons.

Gordon Hayward is leading an inept ensemble of players in scoring with an average 19.2 points per game. The Jazz are 29th in the league in points per game, 28th in field-goal percentage and 29th from three-point range.

Because the team has struggled to score, it would be easy to see how the rookie could press to make things happen on the offensive end. 

After making 36.7 percent of his threes in college, Burke couldn't buy a bucket in summer league play. In the Orlando league, he made just 1 of 19 three-point attempts and went 13-of-54 from the field overall. During the three preseason games he played, Burke made just 9-of-30 from the field.

Did he just forget how to shoot the basketball? Of course not, but playing in summer league was a mental and physical adjustment.

Playing in regular-season NBA games will be an even bigger adjustment, and early problems are to be expected. The Jazz can still have a bright future with Burke running the show, but it may take a while before positives outweigh the negatives.  

Summer League Stats: NBA.com

Burke's College Stats: Sports Reference

Jazz Season Stats: Basketball Reference

Follow me for news and musings on the NBA.