Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic has sported a clear, plastic mask during the entirety of Portland’s preseason, a protective measure after dental implant surgery over the summer. He removed the device in the Blazers’ season opener versus the Phoenix Suns. Now, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian, “To Wear or Not to Wear” has become a burning question.
He said he has permission from the league to wear it for eight more weeks, but doctors have cleared him to play without it. On the one hand, he's far more comfortable mask-less.