Fresh off a career night, Jusuf Nurkic has become an elite FanDuel NBA prospect ever since being acquired by the Trail Blazers at the NBA trade deadline.
It only took Jusuf Nurkic eight games to revive his status as a premier center in FanDuel NBA leagues.
Before the NBA trade deadline, Portland and Denver swapped young centers, with Mason Plumlee joining the Nuggets in exchange for Nurkic, a 22-year-old from Bosnia.
With each day, the deal becomes even more exceptional for Portland. Along with adding Nurkic to the lineup, the team also landed a first-round pick for Plumlee and a future second round selection.
Nurkic had essentially fallen out of the rotation in Denver, with the team running its offense through promising power forward Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets played Nurkic fewer than 20 minutes in 10 of his final 17 appearances with the team and benching him on five occasions during the run.
The switch to the Trail Blazers has completely reinvigorated Nurkic, while giving the team a reliable weapon to pair with the promising backcourt duo of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard.
Eight games later, Nurkic has posted averages of 16.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, sending his cap hit in FanDuel NBA league play skyrocketing.
During his debut appearance with the Trail Blazers just 24 days ago, he could be added to any FanDuel NBA lineup for $3,500. If he is to be included on a FanDuel NBA roster for Saturday night, he will cost $6,800.
The steep incline in his valuation can be attributed to his dominant performance against the 76ers Thursday, when he thrived on both ends of the court.
The seven-footer logged 28 points, 20 rebounds (seven on the offensive end), eight assists, six blocks and two steals.
Making a BIG impact in #RipCity... check out the best of @bosnianbeast27 for the @TrailBlazers! pic.twitter.com/aDsVr3a2fl
— NBA (@NBA) March 10, 2017
Nurkic became the first player to register at least 28 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists and six blocks in a game since Charles Barkley on Nov. 28, 1986.
The blending of the Trail Blazers and Nurkic has been exceptional. Nurkic is freeing up Portland’s backcourt duo with well-timed screens, he can roll to the rim with authority and has been piling up points off put-back attempts.
On the defensive end, he has been the rim protector the team has desperately needed, blocking five or more shots on a pair of occasions, while recording two or more steals four times.
The Trail Blazers took a low risk gamble at the trade deadline on a player that had fallen out of the rotation and after just a few appearances with the team, Nurkic has already proven to be a commodity in FanDuel NBA leagues.