Colorado Buffaloes sophomore Alec Burks has decided to forgo his final two seasons of eligibility and declare for the NBA Draft. He announced his intentions today live from Boulder.
"I'll be in the 2011 draft with plans to sign with an agent." - Alec Burks
The sophomore from Grandview, MO led the Big 12 in scoring this season with a 20.1 points per game average. Last season Burks was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, after posting 17.1 ppg.
Burks is an athletic guard who can both score off the dribble, or off set plays. Draft website NBADraft.net slots Burks as the 10th overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks, while Draft Express has Burks as the 12th pick to the Utah Jazz.
In my opinion, in order for Burks to rise to the All-Star level, he will need to develop his outside shot -- he shot only 29.2 percent from beyond the arc this season. At CU he was able to use his 6'6 frame to tower over opposing guards and create mismatches offensively. In the NBA, he won't have near the size advantage that he had in college, so an outside shot will help keep defenses honest and allow him to use his patented pump fake dribble drive to get to the bucket. As I said when I was on Denver radio's The Ticket, before March Madness i can envision Burks turning into an Arron Afflalo type of player.
With Burks' gone, CU will lose its top four scorers, as Cory Higgins, Levi Knutson and Marcus Relphorde all have used up their college eligibility. It might be a rough year in the Pac-12 for the newcomers from Boulder.
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