Rip City Project
Fansided

Portland Trail Blazers: 3 goals for Jusuf Nurkic in the 2021 NBA season

By Stevie Cozens

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 18: Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots the ball during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game One of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 18, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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 Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 18: Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots the ball during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game One of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 18, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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 Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

Portland Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic is out to prove that he is back to his best after injury. What are 3 goals for Nurkic in the 2021 season?

Jusuf Nurkic has only played a dozen or so NBA games for the Portland Trail Blazers in the last 20 months. After spending 15 months off the court with a devastating lower leg injury, he returned with some huge performances in the NBA Bubble.

After coming down to earth a little after playing massive minute totals in these games, Nurkic has had the chance to work himself into shape and then come into an NBA training camp healthy.

Nurkic is now a cornerstone on a contending Western Conference team and is the piece for this Blazers team to take them to championship status alongside. He needs to refine a few things though, to take his game to that next level and help this Blazer team secure home-court advantage for the playoffs.

What are three goals for Jusuf Nurkic for the 2021 season?

Goal #1 – Become an All-Star for the first time

For players who haven’t reached All-Star or All-NBA status, attaining this for the first time shows a level of growth on the court with their level of play, while giving them the off the court recognition of the fans and then the NBA community.

Nurkic making his first All-Star game would be a reflection of health and then his level of production. The Blazers would need to win a lot of games for him to be in the mix, but there won’t be any questions about his statistical production level.

Nurkic has always put up close to All-Star production, but he hasn’t played on a team with this type of talent before, or shown the level of play that he exhibited in the bubble seeding games last season.

A slimmer version of Nurkic who can finish better at the rim while also defending better at the rim, will have better statistical production as a result.

Nurk has a massive cult following in Portland and his home country of Bosnia, so he can gain the votes needed to put him in the top five bigs in the West. With Zach Collins injured as well to start the season, Nurkic will get a boost statistically as he will have to play slightly more minutes at backup big.

There’s no reason that Nurk can’t get the player and coach vote to make the All-Star game; this should be one of his main goals for the 2021 season.