Welp, forgot to post this -
Thunder Signs Deonte Burton To Two-Way Contract
Official Release | July 8, 2018
OKLAHOMA CITY, July 7, 2018 – The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed guard Deonte Burton to a Two-Way Contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.
Burton (6-5, 250) spent the 2017-18 season with Wonju Dongbu Promy of South Korea’s KBL, where he appeared in 63 games (all starts) and averaged 23.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.65 steals and 1.03 blocks in 31.1 minutes per contest while shooting 47.1 percent (549-1166) from the field.
The Milwaukee native spent two years at Marquette before transferring to Iowa State where he was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year for the 2015-16 campaign and was selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team the following season. In his two years as a Cyclone, Burton appeared in 61 games (42 starts) and averaged 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.38 steals and 1.06 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.
Per NBA rules, each team is allowed two players on Two-Way Contracts in addition to the standard 15 players on the roster. Players on Two-Way Contracts spend most of the season in the NBA G League, but can be called up to their NBA team for a maximum of 45 days.
https://gleague.nba.com/news/thunder-signs-deonte-burton-to-two-way-contract/
As a resident of Iowa and adopted Iowa State fan, I can say that Burton is and has always been an interesting prospect. His measurables and explosiveness are remarkably similar to Zion Williamson (this is not an exaggeration). He can shoot outside, attack closeouts, run the floor, and collect garbage points. He is a pretty good passer too. His defensive versatility was always pretty good as well.
Oftentimes, Iowa State would run a pick-and-roll high with Burton. When Burton received the ball, his four teammates were spread out in a box around the 3 point line. Burton's dribbling ability, strength, and quickness made him almost impossible to stop for an individual defender at the college level.
His Senior year he probably had his best game matched up with Josh Jackson on Kansas. He led them to a victory with 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 steals. In fact, most of his best games were against the best competition (Gonzaga, Texas, Oklahoma, etc.).
The questions about Burton were around his lingering back issue, and (possibly related to the back issue) his work ethic. If the back issue is figured out, he could very easily play the Justin Winslow role on a team as a playmaking forward who can defend multiple positions (3-5 regularly and guards on occasional switches).
This is a good signing by the Thunder. I could see him fitting really well at the 4 in spot minutes and possibly even developing into a role player.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/deonte-burton-2.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsN_5KO2juo