Rust Beltway Garage: Scouting Markus Burton & Taking a Closer Look Under the Hood at Notre Dame

For an up-and-coming coach, Micah Shrewsberry has just about everything you could want in a resume. He brings decades of experience, including time under two of the game's sharpest minds: Brad Stevens and Matt Painter, the latter an offensive mastermind at the college level. In his first head coaching role at Penn State, Shrewsberry made an immediate impact, teaming up with the exceptional Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy to build a Top 15 offense and lead the Nittany Lions to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. He also served as an assistant coach for two U.S. youth teams that won gold medals in 2024 and 2025.

Now, the stage looks set for a breakthrough. Notre Dame brings in a four-man recruiting class that includes three ESPN Top 100 prospects, headlined by blue-chip wing Jalen Haralson. Add in veteran center Kebba Njie — a three-year starter under Shrewsberry dating back to their Penn State days — returning talent on the wing and one of the most underrated backcourts in the country in Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry, the coach’s son, and the Irish have the pieces in place.

After the defense led the way in Year 1 under Shrewsberry (No. 39 nationally in adjusted efficiency), the Irish backslid last season, falling to outside the Top 120 in defensive efficiency. And while the offense made strides (No. 7 in adjusted efficiency during ACC play), there’s still a lot of room for growth.

If Notre Dame is to take the next step this season, it’ll need to overcome the loss of two key contributors from last year: sharpshooting guard Matt Allocco (46.5 3P%) and hybrid forward Tae Davis (27.3 percent usage rate, 5.9 fouls drawn per 40 minutes). The catalyst for this push will be Burton, one of the most compelling players in the country heading into the season. Here's what makes Burton so fascinating, and why his development could ultimately determine just how high Notre Dame can climb.

Markus Burton: Lifting the heavy weights

Despite appearing in just 59 career games, Burton has already surpassed 1,110 points, averaging 19.2 per contest. His production is, in part, a reflection of his situation. In the midst of a rebuild, Burton has taken on the role of primary creator — often with limited secondary support — resulting in heavy minutes (33.7 per game), a sky-high usage rate (33.5 percent) and an outsized playmaking burden.

Last season, Burton was one of just three high-major players in the country to post both a usage rate above 30 percent and an assist rate above 20 percent — joining 2025 lottery picks Cooper Flagg and Jeremiah Fears. Additionally, he generated 34.1 points per 40 minutes, ranking in the 98th percentile nationally, according to CBB Analytics. (Points created measures the total points a player scores, plus the points their teammates score off their assists.)

The year prior, as a freshman, Burton created 34.5 points per 40 minutes, which also ranked in the 98th percentile, albeit on a team that finished outside the Top 230 in adjusted offensive efficiency. No other player on the roster that season accounted for more than 18.3 points per 40 minutes.

That’s an enormous playmaking load, especially against high-level competition. And Burton has carried it all as a 5-foot-11, 190-pound guard, while regularly facing defensive schemes designed specifically to contain his speed and shooting touch.

According to Bart Torvik’s database, since the 2007–08 season, only 10 high-major players listed at 6 feet tall or shorter have reached those benchmarks in a single season. Of that group, Burton is one of just four to hit those marks in multiple seasons — joining South Carolina’s Devan Downey (2009–10), Louisville’s Russ Smith (2012–13) and Marquette’s Markus Howard (2019–20).

This is — dare I say — a “Russdiculous” effort from Burton. On a pound-for-pound, possession-by-possession basis, there may not be a high-major player who has carried more offense than Burton the last two seasons.

Master of the Midrange

Burton made noticeable strides as an offensive player in his sophomore campaign. He shot more efficiently and with greater volume from beyond the arc, hitting 37.5 percent of his 3s on 8.9 attempts per 100 possessions. He also got to the line more often — drawing 5.3 fouls per 40 minutes — while improving his accuracy at the stripe to 84.8 percent.

Despite maintaining a lofty usage rate, Burton’s true shooting percentage climbed to 54.8 percent, and his turnover rate dropped to 14.7 percent. While a high volume of midrange attempts can lower a guard’s turnover rate, Burton’s ability to take care of the ball under constant defensive pressure makes that figure genuinely impressive.

Burton’s preference for midrange shots leads to a somewhat unconventional shot profile. Over his first two seasons, fewer than 29 percent of his field goal attempts have come from beyond the arc. While he still gets to the rim at a solid rate (4.6 rim FGA per 40 minutes), he often settles for tough, lower-efficiency shots off the dribble.

That said, he converts those looks at a solid clip, and his live-dribble playmaking creates higher-quality opportunities for teammates. More than 25 percent of his attempts have come from the paint but outside the restricted area, where he shot an impressive 46.4 percent. He also connected on 44.6 percent of his midrange jumpers, which accounted for 23 percent of his total shot attempts — a strong number from that area of the floor.

Here's Burton's shot chart, via CBB Analytics.

According to CBB Analytics, Notre Dame shot just 34.4 percent on 2-point attempts away from the rim during minutes when Burton was off the floor.

To underscore how much of Burton’s scoring is self-created: only 43 of his 151 made field goals were assisted. That means 77.8 percent of his buckets were unassisted — ranking in the 95th percentile nationally. Of his 146 2-pointers, just 12 were assisted (8.2 percent), placing him in the 93rd percentile.

Markus Burton: On-Off Impact

Over the first two seasons of Shrewsberry’s tenure in South Bend, no player has been more vital to Notre Dame’s success than Burton.

During the 2023-24 season, the Irish were outscored by 44 points in 221 minutes when Burton was on the bench. The team posted a dismal offensive rating of 90.0 points per 100 possessions — with just 46.6 percent effective shooting (13th percentile), according to CBB Analytics — and a net rating of -12.8 points per 100 possessions. While this is a relatively small sample, as Burton played over 83 percent of Notre Dame’s minutes that year, the impact of his absence is clear.

When Burton was on the floor, Notre Dame was -59 in 1,113 minutes but had a much improved offensive rating of 101.6 points per 100 possessions — an increase of more than 11 points per 100 possessions — and a net rating of -3.3 points per 100 possessions.

These struggles weren’t entirely surprising. It was Shrewsberry’s first season, and Notre Dame fielded one of the youngest teams in the country with very little continuity from Mike Brey’s final year. According to KenPom, the Irish ranked in the bottom 10 nationally in both D1 Experience (No. 357) and Minutes Continuity (No. 356).

The following season, Notre Dame posted a +20 in 876 minutes with Burton on the floor, including an impressive offensive rating of 111.4 points per 100 possessions. Without their best on-ball creator, the offense dipped to 108.6 points per 100 possessions in 479 minutes of action.

When Burton missed time following a right knee injury in November against Rutgers, Notre Dame went 3-4 over the next seven games. This stretch doesn’t include the one-point overtime loss to the Scarlet Knights, when Burton played just three minutes before being forced out. Three of those seven matchups came against Top 40 teams — Houston, Creighton and Georgia — and Notre Dame’s offense struggled, scoring just 95.8 points per 100 possessions (45.8 eFG%) and shooting 44.7 percent on 2-point attempts. Moreover, the Irish were outscored by 19.4 points per 100 possessions during this stretch.

The upshot: Burton’s offense and live-ball creation are vital to Notre Dame’s half-court game. For Shrewsberry to have the breakthrough season he needs in South Bend, a healthy Burton must emerge as one of the league’s best guards, while the team also finds lineup versatility to weather the times he’s off the floor.

Roll With It

Burton is a savvy player and a good enough shooter to contribute off the ball — particularly when Notre Dame flows into its side-to-side half-court actions. Still, he’s at his best operating out of the pick-and-roll, where he can fully leverage his dynamism and pressure defenses in a variety of ways.

What makes Burton so difficult to defend in screen-and-roll situations is his rare combination of speed and quick-twitch change of direction. He can go from 0 to 100 in a flash, but what really sets him apart is his ability to stop on a dime, shift gears and redirect into a new driving lane — making him a constant threat to break down coverages.

NC State’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who struggled mightily as a screen defender last season, delivers a poor hard hedge here as Njie sets a late-clock ball screen for Burton. Huntley-Hatfield jumps out half-heartedly, and Burton smoothly swivels into open space. Despite the weak effort from BHH, Jayden Taylor — a solid perimeter defender — is still in front of the ball. Burton probes left, then uses a subtle hang dribble into a crossover to create an angle on Taylor. As he drives, Taylor bumps him, but Burton’s low center of gravity allows him to maintain his dribble, stay on balance and continue downhill, turning the corner and finishing with a layup.

This is actually the play against Rutgers where Burton injured his knee. Notre Dame runs “Pistol” action early in the offense with Burton and Shrewsbury. When future No. 2 pick Dylan Harper switches onto Burton, Notre Dame’s point guard hits the turbo button to attack the baseline — then puts Harper on skates with a quick spin back to the middle. Burton creates separation and finishes with his left hand, using his right shoulder to shield off the bigger Harper.

One of Notre Dame’s preferred schematic moves to initiate 5-out offense and open the floor for Burton is spacing the 5-man out to the wing. Here, against Wake Forest, you can see Njie positioned on the left wing — rather than lingering in the paint or down in the dunker spot.

It’s a clever tactic that pulls the defensive 5 out of the paint, opening up the lane. If the defender sags off the offensive 5 spaced to the wing, the offense can capitalize on that advantage.

This spacing technique has grown increasingly popular in the NBA over the past few years, with teams like the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets adopting it. Unsurprisingly, it’s now trickling down to college basketball as well — with high-profile programs like Duke, Illinois and Notre Dame among those embracing the approach.

On this possession at Wake Forest, Davis initiates from the middle of the floor, and Burton kicks things off by setting a down screen for Cole Certa in the right corner. The Deacs switch the action, taking a bigger, stronger defender in Cam Hildreth off Burton and putting a weaker defender, Parker Friedrichsen, on Notre Dame’s best player. Burton wheels back up, and it looks like he and Davis will run a pitch-and-chase pick-and-roll. Instead, Burton rejects the screen and attacks Friedrichsen, who stays with the speedy point guard for one dribble before Burton decelerates, crosses over between his legs and drives into the paint. From there, Burton collapses the defense and kicks the ball out to Certa for a corner 3.

Burton puts defenses in a bind: if they defend the screen near the level or with a hedge, he can make smart decisions — either patiently waiting to turn the corner or rejecting the screen and driving away from the second defender. Thanks to his midrange touch, Burton is also a tough assignment to handle with drop coverage. If the screen defender sinks deep into the paint, well below the level of the screen, forcing the opposing on-ball guard to fight over the top, Burton can exploit the space.

He has the skills to get the job done against elite size and length, even against teams adept at running drop coverage like Duke. Here, Patrick Ngongba drops deep into the paint; as Tyrese Proctor battles to recover to the ball, Burton flashes his handle and quick change of direction, snapping a crossover dribble, shaking Proctor and rising for a soft pull-up jumper from the elbow. This move comes straight from the Chris Paul playbook of pick-and-roll ball handling.

When Duke mixed its coverages and switched a big onto Burton, he looked to attack their feet and get into the paint. Mason Gillis is a solid perimeter defender, but Burton is simply too quick and slippery. He blows past Gillis and splits the second line of defense as well, with Kon Knueppel providing help at the right elbow. Burton collapses the defense and kicks the ball out, leading to a hockey assist on the swing-pass 3-pointer for Sir Mohammed.

Burton can be a highly impactful passer when driving downhill, drawing defenders into the paint before spraying out for open 3s.

Notre Dame will look for ways to create extra space and momentum for Burton when opponents load up on him — using tactics like 5-out “Zoom” action and getting him off the ball so he can work around down screens.

From the 2023-24 season: running Notre Dame’s older 5-out spacing, Njie initiates from the middle of the floor, instead of the wing. Shrewsberry sets a down screen for Burton, who sprints into the handoff from Njie, creating the “Zoom” action. Wake Forest defends with drop coverage; Burton turns the corner into open space, forcing Andrew Carr to stunt off the right wing to help. This leads to an open spot-up 3 on the kick-out.

Later in the game, Notre Dame gets Burton off the ball to get him involved by running him off screens, allowing him to attack off the catch. Drawing from the San Antonio Spurs old playbook, Notre Dame runs “Loop” action out of a timeout — a classic Tony Parker staple. Burton brings the ball up the floor and passes to Davis, who cuts up and off a zipper screen from Njie. Immediately after passing, Burton sprints along the baseline off three consecutive off-ball screens from Njie, Shrewsberry and Carey Booth. He curls hard off the third screen, easily separating from the slower Hildreth.

Braeden Shrewsberry: The Spacing Agent

One of the biggest assets for Notre Dame’s offense is Braeden Shrewsberry, Burton’s backcourt partner. Shrewsberry has quickly emerged as one of the ACC’s top movement shooters.

In each of his first two seasons, the 6-foot-3 Shrewsberry attempted over 13 3-pointers per 100 possessions and shot above 36.5 percent on those attempts. As a sophomore, his season was cut short due to a lower abdomen strain. Still, he was one of only three ACC players to play at least 40 percent of their team’s minutes, attempt 12 or more 3-pointers per 100 possessions and shoot 35 percent or better from beyond the arc. He shared this distinction with Reyne Smith and Smith’s soon-to-be replacement in Louisville’s offense, Isaac McKneely (formerly of Virginia).

An early go-to for the Irish to get Shrewsberry a look from deep is their “Strong” action: staggered down screens on the weak side of the floor.

There’s something poetic about Micah Shrewsberry, who spent many years across two stints at Purdue, having a son who would fit perfectly in Painter’s offense. It’s uncanny; he’s in the same mold as Purdue’s previous gunners — a roving, quick-trigger shooter like Ryan Cline and Sasha Stefanovic.

This is what I call Notre Dame’s “Strong Circle” action, an evolution of the initial “Strong” play. The 4 and 5 set staggered down screens on the weak side. However, Shrewsberry isn’t the first to run off the screens; that role belongs to the other guard or wing. In this case, it’s JR Konieczny, while Shrewsberry starts in the right corner.

As Konieczny cuts off the two down screens, he receives a pass from Allocco. Meanwhile, Shrewsberry gets in motion, cutting from right to left and sprinting off another set of pindown screens from Njie and Davis, creating a circular wheel action and generating a quality look from downtown.

There’s plenty of creative plays that Notre Dame’s staff can design to create open looks for Shrewsberry. He’s a quick mover who explodes off screens, using advanced footwork and a keen understanding of how to read his defender.

Shrewsberry has worked to expand his offensive game — at least along the margins — becoming a better catch-and-go driver who can curl off screens or use a shot fake to attack the paint. However, he creates his best offense by moving without the ball and letting it fly from deep; over 67 percent of his career field goal attempts are 3-pointers.

Here, Notre Dame runs what I call their “Iverson Throwback” action: Shrewsberry cuts to the left wing off two Iverson screens. As the ball is swung to Booth on the right wing, Shrewsberry darts back toward the ball, running off staggered screens from Burton and Njie.

This constant off-ball motion works well as a complement to Burton. Shrewsberry doesn’t need the ball to disrupt defenses; in fact, he thrives playing off the catch, with nearly 85 percent of his three-pointers last season coming from assists. He can warp coverages by running around screens, relocating along the perimeter or setting screens and popping into open space as the defense reacts.

1-2gether: Burton & Shrewsberry

Another way Notre Dame leverages his shooting gravity is through direct actions as a ball screener. In these plays, Shrewsberry can either hold the screen and make contact with his defender or slip the screen and blur out — either way, he’ll be popping and sprinting into space along the arc.

One quick-hitting play Notre Dame often uses to involve Shrewsberry as a screener for Burton is called the “Pistol” action. This involves a guard-to-guard screen or handoff exchange on the wing during early offense. The Irish have a bunch of different stuff they can do out of this action, too.

With time running out at Duke, Notre Dame uses Pistol action with Shrewsberry screening for Burton as part of their hurry-up offense. Proctor switches onto Burton, who then turns the corner and drives downhill for a layup.

There’s no official tally, but it would be hard to find a guard in the ACC who sets more ball screens than Shrewsberry. Whether in a designed play or within Notre Dame’s half-court flow, he constantly moves around the court looking for opportunities to set screens.

Early against Georgia Tech, Shrewsberry runs off staggered down screens from Allocco and Njie. Burton passes to Shrewsberry, who immediately kicks it back to his teammate in the backcourt. As soon as Burton receives the ball, Shrewsberry sprints toward him, slipping out on a blur screen. With Naithan George slightly distracted by the action, Burton jabs right and showcases his quick first step, driving into the paint and creating a kick-out to an open Njie, who showed some 3-point shooting potential last season.

Shrewsberry often works in tandem with Burton on these actions, though he also ran plenty of inverted ball screens with Davis last season. At Virginia: Notre Dame flows from "Chin" pick-and-roll into second-side action with Davis and Shrewsberry, which results in a pick-and-pop 3.

On this possession, Notre Dame runs inverted ball screen action between Davis and Shrewsberry, which Duke switches. Njie then lifts to set a snug, empty-side ball screen. As Davis dribbles left, Flagg shows early with some over-help, leaving Shrewsberry unattended along the arc. Shrewsberry smartly relocates to the left slot, and Davis kicks it out for another 3-pointer.

When Shrewsberry starts to roam as a screener, Notre Dame’s offense shifts into another gear. This is what I like to call the “Blender” — their half-court offense built on flow, side-to-side movement, ball swings and quick-hitting actions with varied screening combinations. It’s genuinely fun to watch when Notre Dame finds its rhythm and the players are reading and reacting off one another.

Mohammed misses this shot against Duke, but it’s a quality possession. This is good stuff. The ball gets reversed, and all five players are involved in at least one screening action. Ultimately, Notre Dame forces the Blue Devils to make multiple efforts — switching in space and rotating behind the play. The 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach, in particular, has to navigate several tricky actions involving Shrewsberry.

At times last season, when the offense was fully in rhythm, the challenges they posed to opposing defenses suggested a unit more potent than its underlying metrics indicated.

During the 2024–25 season, Burton assisted Shrewsberry on 15 made baskets — the fourth-most frequent connection on Notre Dame’s roster, according to CBB Analytics. Shrewsberry also assisted 11 of Burton’s field goals. Those numbers feel a bit low, but of course, injuries played a role. Both players missed seven games apiece, with no overlap. In total, they logged 505 minutes together (-5 net rating), a noticeable drop from the 2023–24 season, when they shared the floor for 756 minutes.

This feels like a key hinge point for the Irish: can they generate more efficient offense during the minutes Burton and Shrewsberry share? In those 505 minutes together, Notre Dame scored 112.7 points per 100 possessions — not bad. But Burton averaged just 1.2 assists per 40 minutes to Shrewsberry. And Shrewsberry’s shooting efficiency dipped with Burton on the floor—32.7 percent from 3, compared to 41.5 percent when Burton was off, per CBB Analytics. There’s likely some noise in that sample, but these two are too talented — and their skill sets too complementary — to not to get more out of this pairing.

If Notre Dame takes a step forward this season, it’ll be because this team leans into that unpredictable, read-and-react style as a core identity and starts winning Burton-Shrewsberry minutes by a better margin.

Jalen Haralson: The Upside Swing

One of the top freshmen entering the ACC this season is Jalen Haralson, who spent time in the Team USA system with Micah Shrewsberry. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound wing represents Notre Dame’s most significant upside swing. While the 3-point shot will be a key swing skill for Haralson, he has plenty of tools to impact the offense — both in transition and in the half court as a cutter and slasher.

Playing off Burton’s ball-handling and Shrewsberry’s off-ball movement should create plenty of opportunities for Haralson to find his rhythm as a cutter. He’s already shown a willingness to move without the ball, and those looks will be available in South Bend — whether he’s cutting from the slot or working along the baseline.

In the shorter term, the bigger question for Haralson is what his on-ball role will look like next season. With Davis gone, Notre Dame needs a wing with some size to emerge as a mismatch threat — someone who can operate in ball screens with Njie or Garrett Sundra, or in inverted actions with Burton and Shrewsberry. Those inverted ball screens were a key part of Notre Dame’s offensive playbook last season. If they want to scale down Burton’s usage this season, someone else needs to be prepared to absorb those on-ball opportunities.

For example, during the second half at Duke, with Notre Dame playing small, Shrewsberry sets a low ball screen for Davis. Maluach sags off in drop coverage, which gives Davis just enough room to crack the paint and finish at the rim.

This would also go a long way in freeing up Burton to play off the ball more often, where he can be a dangerous spot-up threat or catch-and-go driver, and turn Shrewsberry into a movement shooter on the pop. Both are highly effective outcomes.

Throughout his prep career, Haralson showcased some utility as an on-ball creator, attacking out of the pick-and-roll and posting solid finishing numbers around the basket. If he’s ready to step into a role that features downhill drives and production against switches, there’s a major opportunity in front of him.

Dealing with their size on defense

As fun as the Burton-Shrewsberry backcourt duo can be, their size presents some defensive limitations. It’s a smaller guard pairing in South Bend, and certain opponents have the personnel to exploit that by playing matchup basketball — running actions to get either Burton or Shrewsberry switched onto a bigger player, then attacking the size mismatch.

On this play, Virginia gets Burton switched onto Elijah Saunders (6'8", 240) and methodically sets up hi-lo action. Ron Sanchez targeted these switches frequently during last season’s matchup in Charlottesville.

Not every team will pursue this strategy against the Irish, but it’s something to watch for, especially with so many new pieces at the wing spots. When those switches occur and the opposing offense tries to isolate with a post-up, help defenders need to be ready to either scramble-switch or rotate quickly —doubling the post and rotating around as the ball is kicked back out.

Summing it all up

As Notre Dame enters what could be a turning-point season under Shrewsberry, no player is more central to that rise than Burton. He’s not just the team’s leading scorer or primary playmaker — he’s the engine. Pound-for-pound, possession-for-possession, few guards in the country shoulder more offensive responsibility and even fewer do it with Burton’s efficiency and flair. 

His deep bag of midrange shots, relentless rim pressure and improved shooting touch are matched by his sheer availability and importance: the numbers with him off the floor tell the story. 

But for Notre Dame to take the next step — to climb out of the ACC middle tier and into postseason contention — Burton will need to keep evolving. He’ll have to connect even more with Shrewsberry, manage an even bigger pick-and-roll load without Davis, and serve as a mentor and setup man for a high-upside rookie in Haralson. 

That’s a lot. But if the Irish are going to get there, it starts with Burton. In a season full of questions, he’s the answer Notre Dame can't afford to be without.