Trey Burke’s Sixers tenure got off to a curious start.

The 27 year old only played in two of the team’s first 11 games this season, got himself four straight appearances after that, and then ended up on the bench again through the early portion of December.

When the Sixers began to struggle midway through that month, Burke then got himself back into the rotation at the tail end of the three-game losing streak, and hasn’t come out of Brett Brown’s lineup ever since.

His play over those last nine appearances was good enough to guarantee his contract through the rest of the year, which Burke confirmed Tuesday.

“I knew on (Monday) night,” Burke explained. “Elton (Brand) pretty much confirmed it (Tuesday). I’m very grateful, always wanted to be part of a winning situation and what better city than Philly? It was a team I watched growing up, obviously Iverson. Just being guaranteed is a special thing for me and I’m looking forward to continuing to play at a high level and help this team win.”

Burke has found himself playing both point guard and two-guard during his time on the floor, the latter role leading to recent minutes with Ben Simmons out there at the same time.

So far, so good in that department. Two-man lineups featuring Burke and Simmons are +18 over the course of 90 minutes this season with a 51.8 field goal percentage and 40% mark from three. That’s according to data from the NBA Stats page.

“Sometimes playing the one, sometimes playing the two,” said Burke of his learning curve this year. “Learning where the two is supposed to be at, all of the play calls we’ve got, getting guys in their spots as the point guard. Me not playing just one position, I have to be alert and aware on the court. (Coach) is putting me out there in different roles. Sometimes I’m out there as a point guard where I have to set the table more, more than other times when I’m the two and I can be more aggressive. When I talk about getting more comfortable, it’s in that sense.”

Going through Burke’s log, he’s played 13.2 minutes per game over the last ten, scoring in double figures four times off the bench. He’s hit nine of his 16 three pointers (56.2%) and 30 of his 53 shots from the field (56.6%) –

The tricky thing, of course, is that Matisse Thybulle is set to return to the lineup, maybe as early as Thursday. Depending on Joel Embiid’s dislocated finger, and what Brett Brown decides to do with the lineup, is Burke again stuck with a limited role moving forward?

“As it sits right now, there could be some influencing things that don’t feature Trey as much as they used to,” Brown said Tuesday. “But I will say this; he has exceeded, by a mile, my expectations of him. There are still some defensive things we’re trying to absorb and help him and figure out where he can succeed there. But in relation to the (offensive) pop, and creating your own shot, and a burst of speed, and being dynamic off a live ball, he’s different than damn near all of them. He’s shown us. He’s given us a pop and spark. The influence Matisse’s return has on his minutes and role, surely there would have to be some. At what level, I’m not sure.”

One thing that seems clear is that Raul Neto is out of the rotation for the time being. The other backup point guard, who has been battling with Burke for minutes, has only played about 10 over the last six games, taking a back seat for his former Jazz teammate.

“That’s another thing, just the uncertainty of how much I’m gonna play,” Burke added. “As of late, coach has been making it clear that he’s gonna roll with me. So like I said, my job is to come in and be Trey Burke, be aggressive, take risks, try to get in the paint to break defenses down, and just take what the defense is giving me. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. ”

“My job is to be a spark coming in on both ends of the court and I’m gonna try to continue to do that. “