Texas Tech basketball: 3 Red Raiders that aren’t being talked about enough

Jamarius Burton could have as big of an impact as McClung

There are plenty of reasons why we have spent more time talking about Mac McClung than we have spent talking about Wichita State transfer Jamarius Burton.  But it’s time we start to consider what Burton could bring to the court this year as well.

One reason why we haven’t talked about him as much is the fact that he initially wanted to redshirt this year.  However, once the NCAA ruled that players in winter sports would not lose a year of eligibility this year, there became no reason for him to sit out.

We also didn’t talk as much about Burton because his wavier for immediate eligibility with the NCAA was granted much sooner than McClungs.  Thus, it wasn’t as dramatic of a situation being that he was declared eligible with plenty of time to spare before the season began.

Also, Burton isn’t a high-flying star the way McClung has proven to be.  He doesn’t throw down windmill dunks, he doesn’t play with the type of brashness that McClung possesses, nor does he have quite the flair for the dramatic.  In other words, he isn’t a social media sensation.

But what he does bring to the table is a gritty style of play that will be a perfect fit in the culture of the Texas Tech basketball program.  Wichita State is a program that also has a street-dog mentality and what’s more, if anyone can survive playing under Greg Marshall (who recently lost his job in the wake of alleged abusive treatment of his players) they have to be mentally and physically grizzled.

Last year as a sophomore, Burton averaged 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.  What’s more, he was 4th on his team in usage percentage at 21.7% showing that quite a bit of the offense ran through him.

At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Burton is a multi-positional player.  He could operate sort of as a combo guard who does many of the things a point guard does.  Or, he could play like a small forward who is asked to carry more of the scoring load.

Don’t be shocked if Burton becomes one of the pillars of this year’s team.  What’s more, he could surprise us and earn a starting spot over McClung, especially if the difference in defensive acumen between the two players is significant.  (Last year, Burton gave up an average of 95.4 points per 100 possessions as opposed to McClung who gave up over 104.)  Thus, we should keep mentioning this transfer when we talk about reasons that the 2020-21 Red Raiders are expected to be among the best teams in the country.