Detroit Pistons’ Alec Burks ‘on pace’ to return, but exactly when is anyone’s guess

A solution to the Detroit Pistons’ bench scoring woes has been hiding in plain sight.

Alec Burks, who the team acquired from the New York Knicks this past offseason, is a career 38% 3-point shooter. The 31-year-old wing is a proven, reliable scorer and will lift a second unit that has averaging just 23.5 points through eight games — the second-lowest total among bench units across the NBA.

But Burks, who underwent surgery for a navicular fracture in his left foot in April after the Knicks’ regular season ended, has yet to make his Pistons debut. On Sept. 26, the team announced he would miss the start of training camp as he continued rehabbing his injury, with a three-week re-evaluation date. The three-week date was Oct. 17, which we’re now more than two weeks past.

The team has yet to provide a firm timeline on his return.

More:Why Bojan Bogdanovic contract extension is good business for Detroit Pistons

“He’s still a little ways away, not putting a timetable on it,” Dwane Casey said after practice on Oct. 24. “He’s getting some work in, but nothing live at all.”

Burks has been spotted behind-the-scenes playing pickup basketball against other players and some of the Pistons’ player development coaches. He missed their current road trip to Milwaukee, remaining in Detroit for one-on-one work. But it’s unclear where he currently is in his rehab process considering previous reports suggested he’d be healthy in time for the regular season.

Prior to the Knicks trading Bucks to the Pistons, the Athletic’s Knicks beat writer, Fred Katz, reported in June that Burks underwent foot surgery and was expected to be healthy in time for training camp. At media day, Burks revealed that he injured his foot a season and a half ago, and played through it last season before undergoing surgery to fix the fracture.

“I’m getting better every day,” Burks said. “I’ve still got some time, but getting better every day I’m on the court and trying to get back to playing with my guys.”

[ We want to show our appreciation for you being a Free Press subscriber! Check out all the contests, giveaways and prizes we’re offering this month. ]

Burks has a history of lower body injuries. In 2015, he missed 50 games after surgery to repair his fractured left fibula. He had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle and knee in June 2016 to clean out debris, and he underwent surgery to debride his left ankle again in November 2016.

The navicular bone, according to Johns Hopkins foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon Dr. Nigel Hsu, is responsible for transferring force from the ankle to the forefoot. The average recovery time is five months, but can take up to six. The surgery can also have complications, but the Pistons could simply be easing Burks back in due to his previous injury history with his left foot.

BEATING THE CHAMPS:Win over Warriors teaches young Pistons an important NBA lesson

“One of the complications of a navicular fracture with the surgery would be avascular necrosis, in which blood supply to the bone is disrupted, or post-traumatic arthritis, which can happen 12% of the time,” Hsu said. “If the bone is fully healed, they should be able to get back to playing at their prior level. Of course, they’re going to be weaker in their leg from the mobilization in a boot and all the time that they’re not strengthening their leg. It will take some time to get back into playing shape and condition, but if the foot is fully healed that shouldn’t be a problem.”

The Pistons appear certain that Burks will eventually play this season. The most recent update from the team is that Burks is “on pace” to return, similar to Marvin Bagley III, who sprained his MCL during preseason on Oct. 11 and was given a three-to-four-week recovery timeline.

Once he’s cleared to play, his impact could be immediate. Casey has been experimenting with his rotation, mixing starters in with the second unit to find an offensive spark. As a team, the Pistons are shooting 34.1% from 3 — an improvement from last season, but still in the bottom third of the NBA.

Burks is a veteran, and the team expects he’ll have a quick learning curve once he’s healthy.

“The main thing is terminology, understanding the terminology on the fly in the heat of the moment,” Casey said on Oct. 30. “That’s the most important because he’s a smart player. Just getting up to speed, from what he ran with (Tom Thibodeau) to what he’s running with us as far as terminology.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa.