Over the last few years, the Portland Trail Blazers have struggled to put a third piece next to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. While he might not quite be “Big Three” material yet, Jusuf Nurkic is quietly putting together the best season of his career to date.
After the luster of “Nurk Fever” wore off, Nurkic had an up and down season in 2017-18. He started the season slowly; taking inefficient shots in the post and struggling, or declining to, rotate on defense while guarding the pick-and-roll. Nurkic rallied and finished the season strong; averaging 14 points and nine rebounds a game; and picking up a nice four year/$48 million deal for his efforts.