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

Goal #3 – Foul less and turn the ball over less

There are probably only two criticisms that I have for Nurk’s game. He fouls a little too often, and he can be turnover prone around the rim.

I think though, that one of these can and may already be solved. Nurkic being in significantly better shape than he was in February 2019 when he was injured, will make a significant difference on the defensive end.

He has more lift around the basket and can move his feet more quickly, thus being in better guarding positioning on opponent drives.

Nurk was already a great defender before his injury, but because of his old 290-pound frame, he sometimes struggled against smaller or quicker players to get into a strong guarding position.

This shows in his foul rate across his career. Just once has Nurk finished in the top half of the league when it comes to fouling. His 20 plus pound weight loss should make a big difference on that end of the court now.

In terms of turnovers, Nurk can be a little loose with his handle on drives or when posting up around the rim. He has great hands, Nurk’s problem isn’t catching passes, but he sometimes drives into contact or rushes a post-move.

His offensive game’s growth needs to be taking his time down low and using his passing ability and vision when a drive isn’t on. As one of the biggest players in the league, Nurk will always have post seals and mismatches, but he needs to try and pick his spots to maximize his size. He is such a great passer that there will always be opportunities to hit cutters or shooters if his drive isn’t on.

Nurk can look forward to a 2021 season where he is firmly entrenched as one of the game’s best big men. It’s now on him to grow again and put it all out there on the floor.