Someday, Jazz rookie Alec Burks may be seen as a unique talent rather than just another dime-a-dozen, 6-foot-6 NBA shooting guard.
Who knows when that day will come? It certainly didn't come Monday night in Portland, Ore., when the Jazz lost their preseason opener to the Trail Blazers by 20 points. And it's probably not going to happen tonight when the Jazz play host to the Blazers in what will be the final preseason game before the regular season gets under way early next week.
Burks, 20, may yet become the guy the Jazz braintrust believes he can be. But for now, he's learning the lessons all NBA rookies learn.
Lesson No. 1: Don't expect to get a call.
Burks shook his head and flashed a big smile Tuesday morning at the team's practice facility as he recalled getting hammered during an early drive to the basket.
He waited to hear the ref's whistle, just as he did last year while playing at Colorado.
This time, nothing.
"It felt like we were out there fighting, we weren't even out there playing basketball," he said.
Burks said it was like a wake-up call, a sort of "Welcome to the NBA, kid."
"Oh he's gonna get a lot more wake-up calls," said Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin, who made his guys practice Tuesday morning after Monday night's loss at the Rose Garden.
Really, what Burks faced Monday is what nearly every NBA rookie goes through in his first game. First, there's an underlying nervousness, even with the most self-confident players. Secondly, there's that first drive to the basket when a veteran swoops in, puts his body on yours and knocks you to the floor.
Finally, there is the upward glance toward the nearest official. It's a kind of sad, frustrated, hurtful look that says, "Hey! You're not gonna call that? That guy almost killed me."
More often than not the look coming back -- from the ref, the opponent and, yep, even your teammates -- says, "Get up, kid ... and quit your whining."
Burks went through all three phases on Monday, but to his credit he picked himself up, dusted himself off and kept playing.
The nice thing about him is, he swears he loves to learn. He said he looks at every game as a chance to learn something new.
"Experience is the best teacher," he said, sounding closer to 40 than 20. "I felt like I learned a lot more than if I was in a practice session."
Look, I have no idea whether Burks will become a star or not. I know the Jazz had him high on their wish list last June when they selected him with the No. 12 overall pick in the draft.
Afterward, general manager Kevin O'Connor said the team had him in their top 10 -- just as they did BYU's Jimmer Fredette -- but would not say where, specifically.
I know Burks impressed his coaches and veteran teammates in training camp, and I know big things are expected of him, if not this year, than in the immediate future.
Me? I was impressed with his perspective. Over the years I've had the chance to interview several Jazz rookies and, believe me, not all of them have had Burks' broad view of things.
Granted, he's talking about basketball, not building hospitals or ending famine.
Still ...
"I feel like when I play basketball I learn something," he said. "The game experience has helped teach me better than anything else. (Every game brings something new) especially at this level. I feel like I learned a lot in the first game and if you keep learning (from) every game you'll get better."
Not bad sentiments, huh? Especially from a 20-year-old, time-a-dozen, 6-6 rookie shooting guard.
Will he make it in the NBA? It's too early to tell, but at least he's got a nice head on his shoulders ... provided, of course, he can keep it there next time he gets clobbered driving to the basket.
Jim Burton is the Standard-Examiner's sports columnist. He also covers the Utah Jazz and the NBA. He can be reached at 801-625-4265 or at jburton@standard.net. He tweets at http://twitter.com/jmb247
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