Starting Center – Jusuf Nurkic
Backup Centers – Cody Zeller, Robert Covington, Greg Brown
Jusuf Nurkic enters this season after an up and down 2021 where he had a rough pre-season with family issues, and then an injury in January that hurt the Blazers big time.
When he returned after what was a broken arm, he had a massive March and April to finish the season, but an inconsistent playoffs where he fouled out in key games, was a big contributor to the Blazers losing in six games. This is a key season for Nrukic as he is a free agent next season.
In terms of backups, things are pretty light behind them though. Cody Zeller is better defensively than Enes Kanter, and he can pass a bit, but the only other guy who has played any five on this team, is Covington. Brown, out of Texas as the 43rd pick may get some burn there, but he is very raw. Maybe Covington plays a touch more five this season as the third guy with players like Little and Jones slotting in at the four.
The Blazers heavy guard rotation will definitely make the Blazers season an interesting one.
It will be fascinating to see