Portland Trail Blazers: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

3. Jusuf Nurkic showed potential, but is he the Blazers’ center of the future?

2017-18 was Jusuf Nurkic’s first full season as the main man in the middle in Rip City. Last year, Nurkic averaged 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game in his 20 games with the Blazers. He accomplished this despite being out of shape and only knowing a limited amount of the offense.

Sadly, even with a summer to train and study the system, Nurkic took a slight step back in 2017-18. He averaged 14.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.8 steals  per game in 79 appearances this season. His presence as a rim protector greatly aided Portland’s defensive improvement. However, Nurk was wildly inconsistent on the offensive end, scoring 20 or more points in 16 games while also finishing in single digits in 15 games.

Nurkic turns 24 this summer and will also be a restricted free agent. He stated his desire to stay in Portland at his exit interview. However, has he shown enough to net a major payday elsewhere? The Blazers will have the right to match any offer given to him, but is there a price higher than they are willing to go?

A number of productive centers will be out on the free agent market this summer. It will be interesting to see where Nurkic fits in, and which alternatives the Blazers will consider if he ends up on a new team.