What opposing forwards think of NC State’s DJ Burns at the ACC tournament

WASHINGTON — NC State graduate forward DJ Burns is a unique post player. He’s able to get to the rim at will, but Burns also holds elite touch and can whip the ball practically anywhere on the court from the block. 

It has been a rocky final season of college basketball for Burns, an honorable mention All-ACC pick last season, but he has hit his stride at the perfect time for the Wolfpack.

The former Winthrop transfer had a rough two-game stretch as the calendar flipped from February to March with a 3-for-11 combined showing from the field at Florida State and North Carolina in just 29 total minutes. But since that week, Burns has seemed to find his expected impact on the game. 

It began with a 27-point effort in the Pack’s home loss to Duke on March 4, but he logged five rebounds and four assists in that one — seemingly returning to “prime DJ Burns.” 

Burns is a force to handle for many teams in the post at 6-foot-9, 275 pounds, and in the league postseason, he has helped the Wolfpack take care of business in the ACC tournament. Burns had 12 points in just 11 minutes against Louisville to open the week before he had 15 points and six boards in the second round win over Syracuse. 

When it came time to face the Blue Devils for the second time this year, Burns did not replicate his nearly 30-point game, but he was a presence inside. He scored 10 points with three rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal against Duke’s Mark Mitchell and Kyle Filipowski. He made it tough for Filipowski, a 7-footer, at times, when the former five-star recruit guarded him in the post. 

The Rock Hill, S.C., native was one of five players in double figures in the Pack’s 74-69 win over Duke to advance to the ACC tournament semifinals against Virginia on Friday night. 

For Burns, the postseason has been a battle each night. But the Wolfpack is going to throw as many punches as it can at its opponents each night. 

“We knew that once tournament time comes, we’re going to fight for it,” Burns said. “That’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re going to fight in every single game [we have] left.”

Fight is not something that’s hard to find with Burns, who seemingly does not quit in his stints on the floor. He knows a break is coming, so the forward goes all out in his three- to four-minute stretches. 

That provides a tough challenge for opposing post players, who appear to not stand much of a chance once Burns catches the ball in the post and begins to back them down. He isn’t a one-trick pony in the post, either. Burns is able to spin past more athletic bigs, while he also has a nearly-automatic fadeaway that he can get to fall if needed. 

For Filipowski, Duke’s star and a likely NBA lottery pick in this year’s draft, Burns is not like any other player he has gone up against in  his career.

“DJ Burns is a one-of-one type of player,” Filipowski said after the Pack’s win over the Blue Devils on Thursday night. “Just the way he plays is very unique. You’ve got to always be prepared for something he throws at you. I mean, credit to him because, like I said, he’s one hell of a player, as well, and it’s always a battle going up against him, too.”

While Burns was able to score a combined 37 points in just 57 minutes against the Blue Devils in two meetings, he faced a different challenge when in the Pack’s two meetings with Virginia this season. 

Burns logged just 6 points in the first contest against the Cavaliers, in which they doubled him at times, but he was able to pass out of it to log four assists in the Wolfpack’s 76-60 win on Jan. 6. In the second meeting, however, Burns was able to be efficient with 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor in the 59-53 overtime loss on Jan. 24 at Virginia. 

Though the Cavaliers were able to limit Burns to a lower point output than what he has put up as of late, Virginia’s forwards have immense respect for him. 

Virginia forward Jordan Minor, who played 30 minutes in the second meeting between the two teams, remembered how tough it was to execute the game plan defensively against Burns.

“It was a battle,” Minor said. “He’s a great player. He has some great feel in the post. The second time we played them, I just wanted to make it as hard as it is for him to get his buckets. That’s what my mindset is going into [the semifinals.]”

While Minor will likely see a lot of time on Burns in the semifinal, fellow Virginia forward Blake Buchanan will also draw the assignment too. The 6-foot-11 freshman thought Burns presents a tough matchup for anyone — even though he has two inches on the Wolfpack’s star. 

“He is something,” Buchanan said. “He’s just there. There’s not much you can do with someone that size. You just have to try to use everything you can, your quickness, try to force him to his off hand, don’t let him get the catch. He’s a unit.”

The Cavaliers know what to expect with Burns, just like Duke and Filipowski did, but he was still able to affect the game at a high level in the quarterfinals. That matchup inside will likely be a pivotal piece of the semifinals Friday night at Capital One Arena. 

Buchanan, a first-year player in Charlottesville, got his first taste of Burns in the regular season, but he noted that the postseason will be a different beast with the Pack’s post player. 

“I’ve played against people that size, but I’ve never played against people that size with that skill,” Buchanan said. “He’s a great player, so we’re going to have to come ready for him.”