Former NC State Big Man D.J. Burns Has Signed With The Greensboro Swarm And He's Exactly What The Charlotte Hornets Need
At first I thought this picture must have been photoshopped. One of those pictures where the photoshopist makes the player just ever so slightly larger, to the point that it's still believable. But upon further review, this photograph of D.J. Burns with the Greensboro Storm appears to be the real deal. After a brief stint with the Goyang Sono Skygunners.
D.J. Burns has found his way to the G-League.
I had forgot just how large D.J. Burns was a year and a half ago when America got to know D.J. Burns for the first time. Nothing brings together sports fans better than a big boy leading a college basketball team on an improbable March Madness run. Especially if that run includes beating Duke. That's what D.J. Burns and N.C. State gave us in 2024.
Now you're probably thinking, "This man is obviously an incredibly skilled athlete. With his size, maybe he should try his hand at football. But if he's going to continue his basketball career, and wants any hope of playing in the NBA, he HAS to lose some weight. If he's able to do what he did in college basketball at that size, imagine what he could do if he was in shape?"
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To that I say, "Yeah that's probably right"
You're so damn close, D.J. You've defied the odds by getting this far. You've managed to keep yourself on the NBA's radar. You clearly have the skills necessary to play at the highest level. If you can work hard, get yourself in shape, at 6-foot-9 245-pounds you could have a forgettable career coming off the bench as a poor mans Julius Randle, and make more money than most NHL All-Stars.
On the other hand… NBA is littered with "jacked" 6-foot-9 players. But if D.J. Burns can crack an NBA roster looking like this.
He does instantly become one of the most beloved players in all of the association. Except he doesn't even need the novelty of being an oversized NBA player. He already has the novelty of that missing front tooth. And even D.J. Burns at healthy weight would probably be looked at as a "big boy" in the NBA.
So get yourself in shape D.J. I need to see you on the court with LaMelo Ball. I love the idea of the Charlotte Hornets being the NBA designated "fun" team. LaMelo Ball is the flashiest most AND-1 point guard in the league.
They also have the 2nd overall pick out of Alabama, Brandon Miller, who… had that gun thing in college. That's certainly a… background. But if you sprinkle in a little D.J. Burns, him and LeMelo could be the NBA's far more capable version of Hot Sauce and Escalade.