A few notes from around the Western Conference.
- Jazz rookie point guard Trey Burke will get the start in his first preseason game, and his coaches want him to put his struggles behind him. Burke’s starting his professional career in shooting slump that Utah can’t afford to see carry over into the regular season, writes the Salt Lake Tribune’s Aaron Falk.
- Clippers head coach Doc Rivers believes his team can be as good as any he’s ever coached, and that the group is already understanding the principles of his defensive system, writes Los Angeles Times reporter Broderick Turner.
- Now that rookie guard C.J. McCollum will be sidelined with a broken foot, it’ll be interesting to see who gets his playing time: Will Barton or Allen Crabbe, writes OregonLive.com’s Joe Freeman.