NBA Comparison: Troy Bell

Strengths: Strong, aggressive point guard with a knack for getting to the rim and finishing … Explosive athlete who routinely delivers highlight-reel dunks … Great scorer in transition … Good ball-handler and shot creator … Good perimeter defender thanks to his wingspan (6’6") and lateral quickness … High-motor player who always comes to play … Excellent at drawing fouls, drawing nearly 7 attempts from the line per game … Great body control makes him an even better finisher at the rim … Fairly quick first step … With his length, strength, and athleticism, he plays much bigger than his size … Displays solid control when he’s on the floor with the ball in his hands … Can dribble with either hand and drive in either direction … Quick hands, averaged 1.5 SPG … Solid outside shooter, especially on the catch-and-shoot.  Though he shot just 31% from behind the arc this season … Great endurance and physical fitness.  Burton averages over 38.5 minutes per game … This could make him a great energy guy off the bench … Has improved his shooting percentages dramatically each of the past two years, indicating an improved shot and better shot selection … Also improved his A/TO ratio considerably as a senior …

Weaknesses: Has point guard size, but he’s not a great distributor …  Only averages 4.5 assists per 40 minutes …  Some of this is due to a lack of talent around him, but he often dribbles with no intent of finding open teammates …Another red flag is the lack of success Nevada had in his time there …  Nevada had a losing record in three out of Burton’s four seasons, including his junior and senior year … His shooting isn’t always consistent and part of this is due to iffy shot selection … Has unorthodox shooting mechanics and has a long shot release … Upside? Will be nearly 23 come draft time, much older than many of his draft class peers …

Notes: Measured 6’1 (in shoes) 185 lbs, with a 6’6 wingspan at the 2012 Deron Williams Skills Academy…First team All-Mountain West selection this year…

Overall: Burton is a great scorer with NBA-level athleticism, wingspan, and strength.  He has a scorer’s mentality and won’t be intimidated at the next level.  He seems like he could be a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body, but he could find a role as a great scoring point guard off an NBA bench, if not a starting point guard role.  Though his team didn’t have much success during his time at Nevada, Burton has the tools to help a team win at the next level.

Jacob Stallard 3/23/14