Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks will be returning to the team this coming week after being sidelined three months with a fractured left fibula, reports Tony Jones of the Salt Lake City Tribune:
Barring a setback, injured Utah Jazz shooting guard Alec Burks will make his return to the lineup as early as Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, league sources tell the Salt Lake City Tribune. Burks has been out since late December with a broken fibula that he suffered against the Los Angeles Clippers. Burks underwent surgery in early January, and has been out since. The Jazz have been cautious with his return, wanting to make sure he is 100 percent healthy and that there is no risk of re-injury. He’s been slowly doing more from a basketball standpoint, and recently has been playing full contact 3-on-3 in a half-court setting. When Burks does return, it’s likely he will do so on a minutes limit.
Utah is currently in a three-way battle with Dallas and Houston for the 7th and 8th seeds in the Western Conference. The return of Alec Burks may help sway things in Utah’s favor, as his arrival is coming at a time the team needs him most. With six games left on the schedule, the Jazz are clinging to a one-game lead over Houston for the final seed out West and despite being tied with the Mavericks in record, Dallas has the tiebreaker and they currently sit in the seventh seed. Utah needs all the help they can possibly get, even if Burks may be on a minutes restriction to start.
In 28 appearances this season, Alec Burks has averaged a career-best 14.3 points per game on 39% from behind the arc, also a career-best. Burks’ three-point shooting is something to take note of, as his percentage has steadily risen since he first entered the league four years ago (33% as a rookie). Burks, 24, was selected #7 overall in the 2011 Draft by the Utah Jazz in hopes of jump-starting its rebuild project.
Utah fans are eagerly anticipating the team’s first postseason appearance since 2012, but only one team in the mix can make it. Nonetheless, the Jazz would face either the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs in the first round, meaning an early exit is certainly imminent. However, making the postseason alone could be viewed as progress to this injury-plagued young core known as the Utah Jazz, a team that is only getting better as time moves forward.
