'His numbers almost speak for themselves': Darian DeVries believes Markus Burton 'set up' to have a great year at Indiana

Indiana moved quickly in the transfer portal this offseason and that included targeting Notre Dame transfer guard Markus Burton. Burton, who chose the Hoosiers over Houston, arrives in Bloomington with a skillset that an IU guard hasn’t had in quite some time.

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Burton is a 5-foot-11 guard who is a terrific scorer with the ball in his hands. He averaged 18.5 points this year despite dealing with injuries that shut him down after just 10 games. The year before, he averaged 21.3 points and shot 37.5 percent from three.

As a freshman he ranked sixth in the ACC in scoring and then led the ACC as a sophomore, while ranking 5th nationally.

His scoring ability — above anything else — sticks out most and will be the biggest asset for Indiana.

“I think Markus, like his numbers almost speak for themselves,” IU head coach Darian DeVries said on Thursday. “His ability to score at a high, high level against really, really good competition.”

The scoring ability is one thing and it’s a skillset that Indiana hasn’t had in about a decade. The shortcoming of all Indiana teams in the last decade has been lack of dynamic playmaking in the backcourt. Whether that’s for teammates or himself, Burton fits that exact mold and it was a priority for the staff in the portal to land legitimate one-on-one players.

“Just being able to when we need (a bucket) — and there’s five, four, three, two, one,” said DeVries. “Somebody’s got to go make a bucket.”

Enter Burton.

Despite playing in a Notre Dame program that averaged just 13.6 wins per season in the last three years, Burton’s play was exceptional — regardless of the lack of talent around him. While scoring 23.5 points in 18 conference games as a sophomore, he also shot 44.5 percent from the floor and 40.2 percent from three.

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Last year he shot 48.9 percent from the field and 55.7 percent on 2s alone.

He led the ACC in usage rate in each of his first two seasons, and 11th and 4th respectively in the nation.

The best part of his game is the true shot-creation he provides. Whether it’s that one-on-one matchup that he needs to win late in the shot clock, beating a bigger defender on a switch, or being able to get to his spot on the floor, get stopped, counter with a move and create an opening for a jumper. His scoring arsenal is what excites DeVries and this staff the most.

“Like we talked about with his ability just to go, you go by somebody to go play make,” DeVries said. “And he might be one of the more elite mid-range shooters in the country. That’s something when you think about attacking pick and roll defense; a lot of teams are in the drop (coverage). But when you have a point guard that can come off that (screen) and get to 12 to 15 feet and — a lot of teams want you to shoot that. But when you have a guy like Markus where that’s what he thrives on, that puts you in a tough spot on how you want to cover.”

While Burton is the lone true “ball handler”, Indiana has numerous secondary players who can allow Burton to play off the ball and that’s part of the initial offensive system that DeVries envisioned.

Last year, Indiana’s guards struggled to create separation consistently in the half court and Burton now provides a one-two punch in his own right, with the ability to score and make plays for teammates.

“The thing that was impressive, though, is also like he can play-make for people, too. It’s not just going to score — like when you watch the film from his games before he got hurt last year, he made a lot of really good decisions with the ball and in pick and roll. And I’m excited about that.”

Burton was part of a six-man transfer class that ended the portal window ranked No. 1 in the country — currently No. 3 overall.

He’s going to be a significant part of the expected success for Indiana this season.

“I think he’s going to be great,” said DeVries. “I’m excited about his ability to play on and off the ball because he can score without it. He can score with it. I think he’s going to be set up to have a great year.”

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