3 things to know about Timberwolves SL F Deonte Burton

We are continuing to work our way through the Minnesota Timberwolves roster for this year’s summer league competition. With the Minnesota Timberwolves currently at 1-2, the enthusiasm to meet the remaining players may be waning. Despite the Timberwolves having already played three games with one more to go, players may still show enough in the NBA Summer League to land a G-League contract or wind up on a future opponents’ roster.

So next up? Forward Deonte Burton.

He is a player who also hails out of Iowa State, much like Marial Shayok, but he went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft. He subsequently signed a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in July 2018. He would remain associated with the Thunder, toggling between the NBA and the G-League, until November 2020, when he became a free agent.

It’s not surprising to see players who have yet to sign a multi-year deal in the NBA show up in the summer league competition. What is curious is the lapse from November 2020 until now for Burton.

• Game         Mins  Pts    3Pts     Rebs      Asts     Stls       +/-
  Game 1        11      6       0-2         5              1          2          +1
  Game 2       DNP
  Game 3        11      0      0-0          3              1          0          -7
  Totals            22     6      0-2          8              2          2

III – This is his fifth NBA Summer League competition

Deandre Burton has played now in his fifth consecutive NBA Summer League competition. Over the span of the past five SL events, he has averaged shooting .439|.333|.694. That’s not bad, but it is not likely to land him NBA playing time.

His best season over that time was 2018 when he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He put up 10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. His performance was so good that he signed a two-way contract after the competition.

II – He has played for the Timberwolves in NBA Summer League competition before

In the 2017-2018 NBA season, he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in his first summer league competition. He competed in all five games, starting in one, and averaged 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.20 assists per game.

I – He has had two years of NBA experience

He played for the Oklahoma City Thunder in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. He even managed to compete in the playoffs for the Thunder in both seasons. Despite that high-quality experience, he has not resembled an NBA-caliber player for the Timberwolves so far.

But he still has one more game to bounce back in. Will he do enough to lure an NBA team to extend him a contract? Stay tuned.