Portland Trail Blazers: 3 bold predictions for 2020-21 season

Bold prediction No. 2 – Jusuf Nurkic makes a legitimate All-Star case

Jusuf Nurkic was one of the many Portland Trail Blazers that spent time watching from the sidelines throughout the 2020-21 season. Of course, Nurkic suffered a devastating leg injury in March of 2019 that caused him to miss 15 months of action.

The big man made his long-awaited return to the court in the NBA’s restart, where he looked fantastic. In the eight seeding games, Nurkic averaged 17.6 points on .495/.200/.886 shooting splits, 10.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game as he looked like he had not lost a step.

Now, with an offseason of rest, many expect the 26-year-old to have a big season for the Blazers, including his teammate Enes Kanter. Transcribed by NBC Sports Northwest:

"“I feel like two years ago if we didn’t lose Nurk we could’ve won a championship,” Kanter explained. “Nurk brings so much to the table… I always say it to the people around me – I see him as an All-Star… I think this year he has a really good chance to make an All-Star.”"

If the Bosnian Beast can pick up where he left off last season, he could absolutely compete for an All-Star nomination in the Western Conference. Achieving such a feat is far easier said than done, given the plethora of talented centers within the conference, such as Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert, but it is surely possible.