Burton

[HutchwasClutch]

He is really forcing things.  Nothing else wrong with him except that.  His minutes are down to start the year, and he's trying to force the action.  In short, he's adjusting to a new role right now. 

[bilsu]

I think he is still mourning the passing of his mother.

[Ellenson Guerrero]

He needs to shore up his defense to get more minutes.

[rocky_warrior]

I think he is still mourning the passing of his mother.

This.  It can take a while to get your focus back and deal with the loss of a parent.

However, this does leave me encouraged for the 2nd half of the (basketball) year.  Get Fischer, hopefully a focused Burton again, and have the rest of the inexperienced guys start gelling.  We could be pretty good by the end of the year.

[HutchwasClutch]

He needs to shore up his defense to get more minutes.

I've been a huge critic of his D, but he is forcing action that isn't there on offense and hurting them more on that end right now.  Especially tonight.

[Nephew]

He is really forcing things.  Nothing else wrong with him except that.  His minutes are down to start the year, and he's trying to force the action.  In short, he's adjusting to a new role right now.  

Agreed.  The reason why he's forcing things could be due to a number of factors, including his new role in a Wojo's system.  Coping with the loss of his mother certainly won't speed up the learning process.

He'll come around.

[Ellenson Guerrero]

I've been a huge critic of his D, but he is forcing action that isn't there on offense and hurting them more on that end right now.  Especially tonight.

This team is going to need someone to get the action going; I can live with his miscues on offense as long as he's keeping guys in front of him on defense.

[HutchwasClutch]

This team is going to need someone to get the action going; I can live with his miscues on offense as long as he's keeping guys in front of him on defense.

Yeah, this team badly needs Deonte contributing offensively, and he will contribute plenty over the course of the year, but playing like he did tonight, his butt should be next to the coaches most of the game.  He forced things that weren't there and hurt the team against an opponent they could ill afford many empty possessions, or possessions that don't end with a smart play being made.

[tower912]

We need more from Deonte, but he gets a pass from me for a while.   

[Lennys Tap]

We need more from Deonte, but he gets a pass from me for a while.   

Yeah, understandable if his head isn't in it right now, but until it is Cohen is deservedly staring and getting the most minutes - he's playing better at both ends.

[RJax55]

We need more from Deonte, but he gets a pass from me for a while.   

Burton needs to learn how to affect the game without scoring. That's the only consistent skill he's brought forth so far.

I would love to see Deonte get on the boards, especially the offensive glass. He has the body, length, and hops to make a difference there. He needs to watch some Jimmy Butler tapes from Jimmy's first season at MU.

[HutchwasClutch]

We need more from Deonte, but he gets a pass from me for a while.   

I tend to agree, but we're a team with absolutley no margin of error this year.  He's got to play smarter.

[HutchwasClutch]

Burton needs to learn how to affect the game without scoring.

+1,000,000 - sums him up perfectly right now.

[77ncaachamps]

This.  It can take a while to get your focus back and deal with the loss of a parent.

However, this does leave me encouraged for the 2nd half of the (basketball) year.  Get Fischer, hopefully a focused Burton again, and have the rest of the inexperienced guys start gelling.  We could be pretty good by the end of the year.

He will come to.

[tower912]

Agree that he needs to impact the game more without scoring.   He really hasn't progressed much that way from last year.   Last year, when he was hot, he was a volume scorer.   When he wasn't, he was a 6'4 guy trying to guard much bigger players in the post.    Steal or easy basket.    But again, he gets a pass from me for a while longer.    

[Nevada233]

+1,000,000 - sums him up perfectly right now.

If Deonte isn't scoring.... His head is not in the game....

[🏀]

[MerrittsMustache]

Let's just relax on Deonte. He almost certainly spent some time away from basketball and the team this summer. He's a little bit behind at this point. He'll get there.

[rocket surgeon]

+1,000,000 - sums him up perfectly right now.

i know this is cliche, but once he get's through(not over) the loss of his mother, he needs to let the game come to him.  he will realize this isn't b.w.'s team anymore and one booger out of place doesn't pull you from the game.  in other words, deonte will do well by doing the right thing-play within his-self, hustle, follow his role and the game will unfold in front of him. 

[bilsu]

Thinking about it, you have to assume the loss of Gardner will have a big impact on Burton's offense. The opposing team had to guard Gardner and that made it easier for Burton to operate. There is no one on the inside, including Taylor, that the opposing team needs to lock down on, so it can pay more attention to Burton.

[MU82]

Thinking about it, you have to assume the loss of Gardner will have a big impact on Burton's offense. The opposing team had to guard Gardner and that made it easier for Burton to operate. There is no one on the inside, including Taylor, that the opposing team needs to lock down on, so it can pay more attention to Burton.

I actually thought the absence of Gardner and the addition of better 3-point shooters actually would open things up for Burton down low. He and Gardner often seemed to try to occupy the same space.

Given the date and given Burton's drifting through the first two games, it's too early to know what to expect, I suppose.