Kings sign Deonte Burton

#1
Undrafted PG from Nevada. Played for Wiz summer league. I'm guessing its a training camp, guaranteed deal.

A little bit about him: He's a tough, very athletic attack the basket pg. He's a good defender but below average shooter. A scoring pg that doens't have great pg instincts and can overdribble.

I liked watching him play at NV but don't know that we have a spot for him.

Was awful in summer league play.
 
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Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#3
we sure are signing a whole bunch of low level bodies. Without any money to spend I wonder if there is any guaranteed money in this though, or if its just a training camp make good deal.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#5
I'm not so certain this has any larger implications for the roster. I'm guessing this is a training camp invite with an unguaranteed contract and will most likely end with Burton playing in Reno. After all he went to school at UNR which is obviously in Reno which may have played a part in his deciding to sign with the Kings. But two things:

1) A roster shakeup does need to happen soon to balance the roster.

2) Burton was one of the guys I hoped the Kings picked up if they traded for a 2nd rounder. Figuring that IT was likely on his way out Burton struck me as a nice scoring guard off the bench. Jahii Carson was another candidate as that change of pace scoring PG but while he's quicker than Burton, Carson struggled with a hand in his face and Burton has much better size (6'6" wingspan) and showed good effort on the defensive end.

I really like the pickup.
 
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#8
Remember all the games last year when the Kings had to play 4 Forwards at once? I'm fine with having a normal complement of Guards on the team.

That said I am suspicious of a looming trade that sucks most of the salary cap into a core group of 4 or 5. This leaves room for guys like Burton and other players on low cost deals.
 
J

jdbraver

Guest
#9
Remember all the games last year when the Kings had to play 4 Forwards at once? I'm fine with having a normal complement of Guards on the team.

That said I am suspicious of a looming trade that sucks most of the salary cap into a core group of 4 or 5. This leaves room for guys like Burton and other players on low cost deals.
That depends on how good that Core group is.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#10
Just so people don't get too far ahead of themselves it is worth pointing out that Burton went undrafted and unlike Moreland he had a poor showing in summer league. He went 3 for 19 in six games with Washington averaging around 16 mpg. I didn't watch any of those games so I can't say if he looked as bad as the numbers suggest or not but as a guy I looked at as a sleeper I was disappointed with the stats.

Still, if I had to pinpoint the weaknesses in Burton's game it would be that (1) he's much more of a mini SG than a PG (which is fine for a bench scorer IMO) and that (2) he has issues with poor shot selection at times. I can chalk the summer league up to trying too hard to impress but it underscores that unlike the steady Ray Mac, Burton is not ready to contribute to an NBA club. But with some time in the D-League to build up his confidence and put him in a role as a scorer I think he might be able to help the Kings down the road, as a 3rd PG at the least.
 
#11
I don't know much about the player but from what I read he seems like s second round pick most years. This year he went undrafted.

From Draft express:

February 18, 2014
Deonte Burton is closing on 2,000 points scored in his college career, which he surprisingly decided to extend with a fourth and final season after an extended debate last year. Burton ranks among the top point guards in this draft class in a variety of categories, but is completely off the national media's radar and looks to be struggling to move the needle on his draft stock playing for a dysfunctional team that sports a mediocre 12-14 record in the Mountain West Conference. Nevertheless, he shows intriguing potential in a number of areas and might end up being a better pro than many thought coming out of college.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3AIWl5Lim
http://www.draftexpress.com

Burton has average size at 6-1, but makes up for that and then some with a strong 190 pound frame, a long 6-6 wingspan, and arguably the best athleticism of any point guard in this class, as he sports a lighting quick first step and extremely impressive leaping ability jumping off two feet.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3AIWwgf9P
http://www.draftexpress.com

Burton is the fourth best scoring point guard in our top-100 rankings, making an outstanding 55% of his 2-point attempts (second among DX Top-100 PGs), while getting to the free throw line over seven times per-40 (fifth among DX Top-100 PGs), and sporting the lowest turnover rate among any DX Top-100 ranked point guard.

Burton is deadly in the three areas NBA teams like to see point guard prospects excel the most at the collegiate level—being highly efficient in the pick and roll, isolation, and transition situations. His terrific first step, strong frame, and extreme aggressiveness allow him to make a living driving to the basket, finishing around the rim and getting to the free throw line, despite playing in what appears to be a highly dysfunctional team situation in terms of system or structure, with seemingly very little talent alongside him. He makes an outrageous 66% of his field goal attempts around the basket in the half-court, second best among top-100 prospects, and gets there at an impressive rate as well.

On paper, Burton is a very streaky shooter, making just 32% of his 3-point attempts on the season after hitting 30% as a junior. Despite his low percentages and unconventional mechanics, digging deeper, we find that he's actually capable of making shots with the best of them, with both his feet set and off the dribble. His 1.6 made 3-pointers per game ranks fourth among point guards in this class—he simply takes far too many outside looks, which may be partially due to the situation he's in.

Burton never leaves the floor for Nevada, he plays more minutes per game than any player in our top-100 prospects ranking, and is responsible for 28% of his team's scoring, more than any point guard in this class.

With that said, it's difficult to ignore the fact that Burton's team has won less than half their games this season, only Olivier Hanlan's Boston College squad can say the same among Top-100 college prospects, and his poor shot-selection and decision making are no small culprits in that. He doesn't do a great job of reading defenses or getting teammates involved, often dribbling with his head down, and badly overestimates his outside shooting ability, jacking up ill-advised looks early in the shot-clock. Burton is much more of a scorer than he is a natural facilitator, something that isn't the end of the world in today's NBA, but is still something he'll have to work on playing alongside better talent in the future. He's never made the NCAA Tournament and only went to the NIT once (in 2012) in his career, which looks unlikely to change this season. The fact that he turns 23 in July also won't help him when he's stacked up against the other top point guard prospects in this draft, as he's 2-3 years older than most of them.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3AIX8u7zs
http://www.draftexpress.com
 

CruzDude

Senior Member sharing a brew with bajaden
#13
Is a non-guaranteed contract for training camp and beyond but likely a Reno D-leaguer as he spent 4 yr at Nevada Reno. 6-7 wing span for a 6-0 guard is good if he is the defender some think.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#14
Burton definitely needs to work on his jumpshot. His shooting percentage might make it seem like he's a good shooter but really it's because (at least at UNR) he got to rim and finished a lot, making up for his missed jumpers.