Denver Nuggets: The Status Of Jusuf Nurkic
According to recent reports, Jusuf Nurkic‘s future with the Denver Nuggets may be in doubt, especially with the trade deadline approaching.
While the rollercoaster ride continues for the Denver Nuggets this season, one key development has their future looking a little brighter.
The rise of 21-year-old Nikola Jokic has overwhelmingly been the biggest takeaway of the Nuggets’ season so far. With the vast array of skills he displays on a nightly basis, Jokic has quickly solidified his place as the team’s centerpiece in the years to come.
Although inconsistency continues to persist in the team’s overall performance, Jokic’s growth in particular is one reason the Nuggets are high on their future and their quest to return to contention. Jokic’s emergence, however, has come at the expense of another promising big man for the Nuggets, one who was also viewed as a possible centerpiece in his own right.
Before Jokic’s arrival, Jusuf Nurkic was a refreshing bright spot in a rather tumultuous year for the Nuggets back in the 2014-15 season.
Although his rookie season was a modest success overall (6.9 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game and 1.1 blocks per game in 62 games), Nurkic often flashed plenty of potential as a building block for the Nuggets with his budding low post game and fiery personality.
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But Nurkic has struggled to build on the momentum set in his rookie year ever since then. At first, injuries were the biggest cause of Nurkic’s problems as he was limited to just 32 appearances last year in his sophomore season.
Now with his injury struggles behind him, Nurkic has been on the outside looking in as of late, in terms of the team’s rotation.
Since Jokic has locked up the team’s starting center spot, Nurkic’s playing time has taken a hit, going even as far as registering a string of DNP-CD’s in recent weeks, which didn’t sit all too well with him. Although that wound up being short lived, a new development has surfaced regarding Nurkic, which comes courtesy of ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
In relation to the Nuggets’ reported interest in Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap, Stein dropped the following tidbit over Nurkic’s availability in possible trade talks in the lead up to this year’s trade deadline:
"“Denver engaged in serious talks to acquire Millsap last summer and is known to be interested again, alongside Toronto and Sacramento. (The Nuggets, for the record, are now openly shopping third-year big man Jusuf Nurkic in addition to the widely assumed availability of vets Danilo Galinari, Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler).”"
Being that time of year, rumors are bound to materialize and given the state of the team in general, there’s a bit of “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” going on around the Nuggets. With that being said, there’s plenty to suggest that Nurkic’s future in Denver is in doubt for a few reasons.
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- This overlooked skill proves that Nikola Jokic is underrated defensively
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- The Nuggets’ sneaky great draft bolsters their championship roster
- Despite a short series, the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat saved the NBA
At just 22 years old, Nurkic could stand out as an intriguing trade piece in this year’s evolving trade market. Considering he’s still on his rookie contract for the remainder of this year and next season, that alone will be enough for teams to come calling for his services.
Despite his battles with consistency and injuries, Nurkic has bounced back this year in various areas, improving on his efficiency (54 percent shooting from the field), scoring output (9.2 points per game) and rebounding numbers (6.7 rebounds per game).
Along with that, his upside on the defensive end as an imposing shot blocker/capable rim protector gives him potential as a solid two-way player (Nurkic is averaging 2.2 blocks per 36 minutes in his career).
Sure, there are concerns over his injury history and even his durability, but Nurkic still stands as a very reliable big man with plenty of room to grow. That ultimately might not make him a starting center in today’s NBA, but Nurkic could easily follow in the footsteps of Enes Kanter or Greg Monroe by excelling in a role coming off the bench.
There’s reason to believe that could be the case for him in Denver, but with the failed experiment of playing both he and Jokic together and the recent turmoil over his playing time, we might be past the point where it’s feasible for the Nuggets going forward.
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No matter how this all unfolds, Nurkic’s name is certainly one to keep tabs on from now until the trade deadline. But for now, it’s all about reclaiming that lost momentum from the last year-plus for Nurkic.