5 roster moves the Portland Trail Blazers need to make this offseason

PORTLAND, OREGON - OCTOBER 04: Jusuf Nurkic #27 and Anfernee Simons #1 of the Portland Trail Blazers embrace in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors during the preseason game at Moda Center on October 04, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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Feb 16, 2022; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (27) catches a pass during the second half against the Memphis Grizzles at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /

Moves the Portland Trail Blazers need to make this offseason: 4. Re-sign Jusuf Nurkic

One of the most crucial players on the Trail Blazers roster not named Damian Lillard is the Bosnian Beast Jusuf Nurkic. He has been the best big man on the roster since he came over from the Denver Nuggets in his third season.

While injuries have severely impacted his past four seasons, when he has been able to hit the court, Nurkic has been tremendous. He has averaged a double-double in three of his previous four seasons, only missing out on a fourth season by a single rebound per game.

Nurkic is a big part of the Trail Blazers’ offense, not only with his scoring, but he has worked on his passing game. He has averaged less than 2.0 assists per game just once since arriving in Portland. For a team that has struggled to get out of the bottom third in the NBA for assists per game, this is an amazing number.

They also need to re-sign Nurkic because of the connection that he has with Lillard, who is going to have plenty of input into which players are bought onto the team. This chemistry, which extends onto the court, will help new players get acclimated to the Trail Blazers culture faster than if it was just Lillard.

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