Jusuf Nurkic's NBA career went downhill after the Portland Trail Blazers traded him away in 2023. He bounced around the league with stops at Phoenix and Charlotte before ultimately winding up in Utah this offseason.
The Jazz were criticized for their surprising trade, which involved packaging Collin Sexton and draft capital to land a center whose career seemed to be trending downward. Both Phoenix and Charlotte still needed long-term centers, yet they agreed that Nurkic wasn't the solution.
But the Jazz clearly saw something in Nurkic that these other teams failed to notice. It's the same thing that Blazers fans saw during his seven seasons in Rip City.
Jusuf Nurkic looks like his old Blazers self as Jazz finally unlock him
Now, the Jazz are finally playing to those strengths that made Nurkic a starting-caliber center all those years in Portland. He's successfully turned his career around, averaging 10.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on 51/36/56 shooting splits.
The assists are the most telling, as the Jazz are using Nurkic's underrated playmaking. He's always had the skill set as a center that teams could run their offense through, with his court vision, floor spacing, and screen-setting ability.
The Jazz have been one of the more surprising teams of the season with a 14-25 record. Some of that can be attributed to the Western Conference not being as strong or deep as initially expected. But this up-and-coming Jazz team also deserves a lot of credit, as they have an underrated roster. Young players like Keyonte George are taking a leap, and veterans like Nuric are quietly contributing to that leap.
Nurkic has always been the type of player who elevates others on the offensive end, impacting winning in ways outside of scoring. Blazers fans saw that firsthand in Portland, yet it was uncertain whether or not he was still capable of providing that value elsewhere. The pace of the NBA continues to increase. That wasn't ideal timing for Nurkic, who got called out by his Bosnia head coach, Adis Beciragic, for being out of shape this past summer. But another aspect of the modern NBA trend is space, which is actually playing to Nurkic's strengths -- at least on offense.
Credit the Jazz for realizing this, not only by making the controversial decision to acquire him from Charlotte but also putting him back in an optimal position to succeed.