The first sentence of Markus Burton's NBA Draft declaration referenced a sophomore season that will only occur if he eventually withdraws his name as a draft candidate later this year.
But if the phrasing of Burton's announcement is any indication, the freshman point guard will eventually be back in a Notre Dame uniform next season.
"Over the past few weeks I've looked for ways to better my game for my sophomore season," Burton wrote in a graphic posted on Instagram. "While maintaining my eligibility at Notre Dame, I will enter my name into the NBA Draft. The valuable feedback I will receive from this experience will pay dividends on and off the court."
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The 5-foot-11, 166-pound Burton put together a freshman season that deserves looking into the NBA Draft process. The former three-star recruit and 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball winner from Penn High School in nearby Mishawaka, Ind., led the Irish in scoring (17.5 points per game), assists (143) and steals (63) in his college debut season. That led Burton to being named ACC Rookie of the Year.
Burton set Notre Dame's freshman scoring record with 577 points. He surpassed Troy Murphy's previous record of 519 from the 1998-99 season.
To maintain his college eligibility, Burton needs to hit a few deadlines. First, he must apply for the NBA's Undergraduate Advisory Committee before April 19 and file for the NBA Draft before April 28. That will allow Burton to be invited to the G League Elite Camp (May 10-12) and/or the NBA Draft Combine (May 12-19) in Chicago and attend tryouts with professional teams.
Burton, who can use the services of an NCAA-certified agent, will then have to withdraw from the NBA Draft pool before May 30.
Despite his breakout freshman season, Burton has not been a name discussed on big boards by draft analysts across the internet. Burton's draft stock, in large part due to his size, isn't in a similiar position as Notre Dame's last and first one-and-done player Blake Wesley in 2022.
Wesley, who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 25 overall pick that year, is currently listed at 6-foot-3 in the NBA. He was listed at 6-5 at Notre Dame. So Burton's 5-11 listing is probably a bit exaggerated as well, though it didn't limit him from making such a huge impact on a team that lacked scoring options in head coach Micah Shrewsberry's first season.
Shrewsberry's NBA background from spending six seasons (2013-19) as an assistant with the Boston Celtics should be valuable in helping inform Burton about his NBA potential.
According to Real GM's database, only six players listed shorter than 6-foot have been selected in the last 10 drafts: Kay Felder (5-9) and Tyler Ulis (5-10) in 2016, Frank Mason (5-11) in 2017, Carsen Edwards (5-11) and Tremont Waters (5-10) in 2019 and Kennedy Chandler (5-11) in 2022. All of them were second-round picks.
Miami's Shane Larkin (5-11) was the last first-round pick listed below 6-foot. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with pick No. 18 in 2013.
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