Trey Burke Had Never Been To Salt Lake City Before The Draft; Plans To Work With Karl Malone

John Stockton, Deron Williams and now Trey Burke. The University of Michigan product is the newest name in a line of Utah Jazz All-Star point guards after he was selected No. 9 overall by Minnesota and subsequently traded to the Jazz. While Burke is excited that he’ll begin his NBA journey with an organization that desperately needed a point guard, he was surprised that he went to Tyrone Corbin‘s ball club after not working out for any teams past the No. 8 pick.

“I’ve never been there,” Burke said immediately after the draft when asked how he liked Salt Lake City. “I got a little nervous after [I slipped past] Detroit.”

While the 2013 Bob Cousy Award winner must adjust to a change of scenery that he’s not particularly familiar with, he told us how much he’s looking forward to chopping it up with Hall of Famer Karl Malone. Malone is helping out the Jazz organization in some capacity this season.

“Karl Malone is an all-time great,” said Burke. “He can teach me a lot, especially reading the bigs, setting the screen. Reading a big that’s guarding the screen, the screener.”

The Utah rookie didn’t cut his praises short by saying that The Mailman can “give [him] a lot of great advice about being a pro.”

Burke is happy to get the pre-draft hoopla over with. He was formerly introduced by the Jazz on Friday, and said his summer assignment is simple: study film of last year’s starting point guard, Mo Williams. While he is still soaking it all in, Burke understands the rich history of the organization, especially at the point guard position.

“I’m sure you’ve seen it [all] with John Stockton and guys like Deron Williams [but you’re going to see] a guy that’s going to work hard and make plays for this team,” he said. “This is a new journey for me but I’m looking forward to making an impact right away and helping this team go far.”

Does he have a shot at Rookie of the Year?

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