The Portland Trail Blazers are strongly making their mark as one of the top playoff contenders in the NBA. It's easy to point out C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard being solely responsible for the Blazers' success. Yet McCollum mentioned one other player who's been critical in their run.
As reported by Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, McCollum noted that center Jusuf Nurkić has been crucial in their run:
“Nurk’s play as of late has been crucial in our run,” McCollum said. “He’s finishing around the basket better and more efficiently, he’s rebounding at a higher clip and he’s making an impact each night. We look forward to having him healthy for a full postseason this year. His interior play and decision-making make our jobs easier on the perimeter.”
Nurkić, in fact, is the only player besides the Lillard and McCollum who averages double-digits in points. His averages for the season are impressive enough. He's logging 14.3 points per game, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists. He's also a presence on defense with 1.8 blocks a night.
In addition, his foes shoot just 55.8 percent against Nurkić at the rim, making him seventh-best among qualified players. He also ranks eighth in defensive rating with 101.9.
Nurkić, just 23-years-old, is slowly on the rise to be one of the top big men in the league. However, he seems oblivious to this fact. Like any other great player, the team comes before everything else:
“When you ask me where I rank, I really don’t care, man. I know how much I can do for this team, how good I can be for this team, and that’s my only focus right now. I realize that way [of approaching the game] isn’t for everybody, but that’s working for me.”
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