They say it's great to leave on a high note and no one understands that better than Michigan's Trey Burke. After guiding the Wolverines to a National Championship and picking up every national player of the year award along the way, the sophomore announced that he would enter the 2013 draft. In the last couple of months, Burke has vaulted up mock drafts all across the web and appears to be a mortal lock for the top ten.
There's no debate about it, Burke is universally regarded as the top point guard in this year's class. The 20-year-old has tremendous passing ability and has a knack for finding the open man in traffic. He also knows how to keep command of the basketball with his high-level ball handling and he has cut down on turnovers from his freshman to sophomore year. Burke completes the triple threat profile with his shooting ability and has tremendous range from outside. Offensively, his skill set projects extremely well to the next level.
The Michigan star isn't quite as promising on the other side of the floor and bigger opponents have given him trouble at various points this season. That's obviously going to come up even more often for the 6'0" guard in the NBA and he'll have to toughen up in order to keep his assignment in check. It's worth noting that while Burke is undersized, he does boast an impressive 6'5" wingspan which will be a major asset as he looks to improve his defense.
Despite his height disadvantage, Burke still holds more promise than the other true point guards in this class such as Syracuse standout Michael Carter-Williams and Miami's Shane Larkin. Burke is extremely well-rounded on offense and when we look back on this year's draft, Burke may stand out as one of a few memorable talents from a thin class. How high will he go? DraftExpress currently has him pegged at No. 5 while the latest mock draft from ESPN's Chad Ford puts Burke at No. 6. It's hard to imagine Burke surging ahead of Ben McLemore or projected No. 1 pick Nerlens Noel, but strong showings in workouts coupled with a favorable lottery draw could vault him as high as No. 3.