Alec Burks (SG, DET) - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 12

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 6% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Of course, the main reason for streaming Alec Burks this week and perhaps a few more games down the road is the aftermath of the Pistons and Magic brawl a few days ago. It could have been worse but things stayed reasonably calm and nobody got hurt. It's more about suspensions than anything else, thank God, but there will be some changes in the rotation of the two teams because of it no matter what.

The Pistons acquired Burks via trade on a salary-dump deal last summer. Burks missed the first three weeks of play but debuted in mid-November without relinquishing his off-the-pine role ever since. In fact, his minutes have trended a bit upward as the season has progressed, going from around 20 MPG in his first 10 games (November) to closing December getting 25+ MPG.

Burks is definitely not an exciting, new, unknown commodity. Far from it. You already know what he's been doing for years and what he'll keep doing ROS and heading into retirement. He scores points with ease and puts up great shooting percentages but he comes with the negative of getting very limited chances (around 8.0-to-9.0 FGA per game).

He knows when to shoot the rock and how to hit those shots, though, as he's scored at least one 3-point heave in seven consecutive games, entering New Year's Eve actually averaging 2.7 3PM per game in his last seven games back to Dec. 18.

The 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio sucks a bit and Burks is just a shooter/scorer these days on limited volume. Don't ask or expect much more from him, even less considering the Pistons are just coming to accept that they're going nowhere anytime soon and skewing younger with each passing day. Don't rule out a trade even if they have claimed to be happy having Burks around.

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