
As a call-up to the Knicks seems likelier and likelier, Trey Burke feels he's ready for his next chance.
Burke played his first four professional seasons in the NBA and failed to live up to the expectations of being the 9th overall pick in the 2013 Draft. This offseason, he signed with the Knicks and has played in G-League all season. Burke believes he's matured since the last time he was on an NBA court.
"That Trey Burke -- there was a lot of distractions going on with that Trey Burke. That Trey Burke was 19 years old," Burke told James Herbert of CBS Sports. "This Trey Burke now, I'm married, I'm in the house, I'm not worried about things that a lot of players worry about."
After spending his first three seasons getting meaningful minutes with Utah, Burke spent last season in Washington. He averaged just 12 minutes per game and played just 20 total minutes of garbage time in the playoffs.
In 26 games with the Westchester Knicks in the G-League this season, Burke has averaged 26.6 points on 49 percent shooting with 5.3 assists. Burke chose to be there, too, instead of signing a two-way contract with other interested teams.
"A lot of people don't know that I chose this route," Burke said. "I had some opportunities presented to me before the season and, bottom line, I didn't want to take a two-way deal. I wanted to come down here and recreate my brand on and off the court, show teams what I really can do if I have the opportunity to run a team."
Burke is just 25-years-old, meaning his career is far from over. The Knicks have incubated a rejuvenated Michael Beasley this season and there's hope that Burke could find a similar grove. He'd also get to reunite with former Michigan University teammate Tim Hardaway Jr.