This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The morning after the first preseason game of the year, Alec Burks stood against a wall in the team's practice facility and answered questions about his role with the Jazz.
Is he a starter? Or a spark, a primary scoring option off the bench?
What about position? Did he mind moving away from his natural position to take on point guard duties if coach Ty Corbin ever needed him to do that?
"I like being on the court," Burks said. "I'm a guard. Last year, I was kind of thrown in the point guard, but I can play if they need me to."
Fast forward a week: Yep. The Jazz need him to.
With rookie Trey Burke undergoing surgery on a fractured finger Tuesday, the Jazz are once again looking for a temporary fix. John Lucas III, appears headed for a starting job.
Burks, however, could get some starting minutes at the one.
"It may be at times, because of his size, we start him at point," Corbin said Tuesday. "Lucas is a smaller guy. Scott [Machado] is a smaller point guard also. So against some points it may be better to start Alec. … We have to figure out those things as we go forward. As I told the guys yesterday, everybody has to be ready to go."
Burks, who spent time in Washington this summer training with John Stockton, has proved he can handle point guard duties, Corbin said. But the coach emphasized he only wants it to be a temporary fix.
"He can play both positions," Corbin said. "I don't have any problem with him playing there. It's just not his position. His position is a two-man. We can put the ball in his hands to initiate offense, but he'd rather play the two-spot.
— Aaron Falk
Twitter: @tribjazz