Portland Trail Blazers: Takeaways from preseason Game 1 vs Warriors

Jusuf Nurkic’s extended range could be the major change the Portland Trail Blazers need

The Portland Trail Blazers have been seeking for another star to pair with Damian Lillard for awhile now, but perhaps the major change the team needs is internal.

Against the Warriors, Jusuf Nurkic looked like the Blazers third splash bro, hitting half of his four attempts from beyond the arc.

Nurk has been flirting with extending his range for the past few seasons, but has yet to top 1.3 deep tries per night.

If he can consistently hit enough trey balls to draw defenses out to the arc, the Blazers offense will be more dangerous than ever. Driving lanes will be wide open for Damian Lillard, CJ, and Norman Powell and rim protectors will be neutralized.

While standing on the perimeter will make him less of a threat on the offensive glass, it also makes it easier for Nurk to get back in transition and conserve energy. This could cause a domino effect where he’ll be more available and energized in games, a big cause of concern for coach Chauncey Billups.

No matter what, adding this new element to his game will give him and the Blazers a much needed new wrinkle to breathe life into an offense that’s dangerous, but also prone to stagnation.

Let’s hope that this isn’t a preseason anomaly, but rather a new trend for the upcoming season.