Trail Blazers “Still a Little Down” With Jusuf Nurkic Sidelined Indefinitely
Even though Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic won't take the court again this season, Portland hasn't forgotten about him. That became evident when I
Even though Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic won’t take the court again this season, Portland hasn’t forgotten about him. That became evident when I tried asking Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts how hard it is to fill Nurkic’s void because “he was such a big part” of the team.
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He stopped me mid-sentence.
“He still is a big part of this team,” Stotts remarked.
Emphasis on the “still is.”
Nurkic suffered a compound fracture sidelining him for the rest of the season on March 25 in a win over the Nets, creating a gap in Portland’s frontcourt.
Nurkic was having a strong season, averaging a career-high 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Stotts said the team is still struggling with the injury.
“Obviously, we’re still a little down about Jusuf being out,” Stotts said. “We know that the season rolls on.”
The Blazers will need to have someone step up in Nurkic’s absence as the team prepares for postseason play. Stotts offered a variety of suggestions on how Portland will address the issue.
“Enes, Meyers, Zach and Skal all get an opportunity to expand their roles, and we’ll use the next couple weeks to find out what works best,” Stotts revealed.
Previous iterations of the Blazers had Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum carrying a majority of the scoring load. And while the backcourt duo is still integral to Portland’s success, Nurkic provided a solid third option.
Here’s his progression over the last three seasons, which marks his transition from Denver to Portland.
| Season | Points | FG% | Rebounds | Offensive Rating | Defensive Rating |
| 2016-17 | 10.2 | 50.7 | 7.2 | 104.8 | 106.9 |
| 2017-18 | 14.3 | 50.5 | 9.0 | 105.6 | 102.0 |
| 2018-19 (through March 25) | 15.6 | 50.8 | 10.4 | 116.0 | 105.6 |
Nurkic’s leap is a big reason the Blazers are in position for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference. With their postseason appearance confirmed, Portland now has to figure out what combination of players will fit into Nurkic’s spot.
“Enes hasn’t had a chance to play with the starters, Meyers hasn’t played in a while, Skal hasn’t gotten a chance to play, Zach maybe plays more minutes at 5,” Stotts said. “Depending on the opponent, depending on the matchups, there are things that we can look at as far as combinations and rotations.”
The Blazers have Nurkic under contract for the next three seasons, but they won’t be able to gauge how he fits in a playoff scenario due to his unfortunate injury. Yes, Portland will be in the postseason for a sixth straight year, but this would’ve been the first time they had a true third option to go to offensively.
Now, the only question remaining is whether any of Portland’s backups can shoulder the burden with Nurkic out. Zach Collins, Skal Labissiere, Meyers Leonard and Enes Kanter are all players who are capable of increasing their minutes and making significant contributions.
But regardless of their play and impact, Nurkic has quickly evolved into an irreplaceable piece for Portland — just ask Stotts.
