In some ways Portland’s most valuable player. You just can’t replace what he brings and it was unfair to expect it from Whiteside. And that’s not a shot at Whiteside, he actually had a good season, one of his best as a pro. But...levels.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29562198/what-jusuf-nurkic-gained-losing-year-injury Nice article by Ramona Shelburne.
Nurk had another huge game. He continues to be elite especially on the offensive side of the ball. Even though it’s a small sample here is how he’s doing after 2 games so far 24 point a game 9 rebound a game 5 assist a game 3.5 block a game 2 steal a game Shooting 54.8% 100% on free throw, 13 for 13 1/4 for 3 pointers
The talent and instincts this guy has for someone that only picked up a basketball ten years ago is ridiculous. It doesn’t matter what center he goes up against, it always feels like we have the better guy, or at worst, a guy just as good. He just glides around the court so effortlessly. And man, how we missed his screens.
I think it's really going unnoticed how great he has been in such a short period of time. I don't want to jinx it given how much he falls to the ground, but he is better now than he was last year in these first three games. He's putting up 22/12/4 while averaging 3 blocks and 2 steals a game in only 31 minutes. He's also shooting 50% from the floor and hasn't missed a single FT in 21 total attempts. That has translated to a 32 (!!) PER. All this with super impactful defense, and no empty stats. Did anyone anticipate him being this far ahead only 3 real games in? Paul George really struggled in his return after 10 months post-surgery from his leg break. The extra 6 months Nurk has had, and his increased focus to maintain his mental strength has been unbelievable. knock on wood.
I did not expect this out of Nurk. It looks like he isn't forcing anything and letting the game come to him. Totally agree with this article - https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbareturn29594655/what-seeing-hearing-nba-bubble#por
Nurkic has been playing like a top 5 center so far. He’s legit! He has been averaging 22 point a game 12.3 rebound a game 4.3 assist a game 3.3 block a game 1.7 steal a game All on 52.4% shooting a game and 100% free throw shooting! And his PER has been 31.5 So far he has been elite! Looking forward to the Nurkic vs Jokic battle