Tell us that Notre Dame men’s basketball guard Markus Burton will return for his sophomore year without telling us that Notre Dame men’s basketball guard Markus Burton will return for his sophomore year.
Over the weekend, the NBA told us.
Just before 6 p.m. with a classic late afternoon/early evening Friday news dump, the NBA announced the 78 players invited to next week’s draft combine in Chicago. On Saturday, word also leaked of the 44 players invited to the G League Elite Camp with a chance to earn future combine consideration.
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Burton’s name was absent from both lists. He isn’t a lottery pick or a first-round pick. He maybe isn’t worthy of any of the 58 picks in the June draft. He should be one of those 122 based on last season alone.
After leading Notre Dame in scoring (17.2), assists (4.2), steals (1.9) and minutes (33.5) while he earned Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year, Burton is seen as little more than a curiosity.
He had a good year, but …
Thursday was the deadline for NBA teams to send in their wish lists of prospects they want to evaluate in Chicago. By Friday, it was clear that Burton’s name didn’t appear on many — or maybe even any — of those want-to-see lists.
Maybe he didn’t do enough last season. Maybe he wasn’t tall enough or athletic enough. Maybe scouts didn’t pay him the proper attention in January and February as they rolled through Purcell Pavilion to evaluate this guy or that guy.
Or maybe he doesn’t carry the same surname as one of the game’s greats, which certainly would’ve cemented an invite.
That fellow college freshman Bronny James, son of you-know-who, was invited to Chicago is just outright silly. Embarrassingly so. At least Burton showed that he could play at the collegiate level. He earned an invite right.
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You know how many freshmen who averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.6 minutes with heart issues in their history get Combine invited to Chicago? None. Well, one.
Shows that it’s not what you know but who you know.
That Burton won’t be in Chicago next week isn’t necessarily a negative. It would’ve been nice to get over there and play some five-on-five, maybe make an impression with someone high up in the NBA hierarchy and get feedback on what he needs to do to be a legit pro prospect. That’s obvious — shoot a higher percentage and take better care of the ball. Be a point guard, not a shooting guard playing the point.
Combine inclusion also would’ve left open the door for Burton to undergo the standard pre-draft testing. High jump. Three-cone sprint. Vertical leap. Height, weight and hand measurements.
Of the 195 early entrants officially announced last week, only one did not stand at least 6 feet. Burton is officially listed at 5-foot-11. Measured without shoes, he might be closer to 5-9.
So, he won’t be poked and prodded and he won’t have a chance to make a good first or second impression. You know who might be best with that? Burton.
On April 11, Burton announced via social media — seemingly rather rushed and somewhat reluctantly — that he was submitting his name for the NBA draft with the possibility of returning to school. Had he hit it big at the Combine, he’d have been the only the second one-and-done in program history behind another former Michiana schoolboy star. Blake Wesley parlayed a rocket-rise first year at Notre Dame into a first-round choice in the 2022 draft.
Burton has until May 29 to decide whether to remain in the draft or return to school. Don’t expect an official announcement (“I’m back!”) if any word at all. Burton will take the necessary steps to step away from his NBA dream and quietly return to school.
That’s where a good life awaits. Burton’s not NBA ready. He may never be NBA ready. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a good college player.
Regardless of what Burton’s basketball future beyond Notre Dame holds, the fallback plan is fine. Maybe better in the here and now than in the NBA. College can be a life he certainly never dreamed of living, as a college basketball player.
Burton will go back to Notre Dame. Burton will make a lot of money — think a comfortable six figures — thanks to Name, Image and Likeness. He’ll be close to family and friends. He’ll play a 3-pointer away from his hometown. He’ll start. He’ll play a lot. He’ll be the face of the program on its continued climb back to respectability. He’ll help Micah Shrewsberry grow that program.
He has a solid/stable/sure situation with a chance to do something next year and the next year and the next that he might not ever do in the NBA.
Be great.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.
