The Portland Trail Blazers were dealt a tremendous blow to their frontcourt when center Jusuf Nurkic — in the midst of a breakout year — went down with a gruesome leg injury in the final weeks of the regular season.
While the Trail Blazers managed to dispatch of the Oklahoma City Thunder in just five games in their first-round matchup, they have been handed yet another setback at the center position.
Enes Kanter, who Portland claimed after the Turkish native was waived by the New York Knicks in February, separated his left shoulder in the first half of Game 5 against the Thunder. Kanter stayed in the contest and was able to remain effective, scoring 13 points and adding 13 rebounds as the Blazers advanced to the second round.
However, Kanter's status remains unclear as the team prepares for the second round. According to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian, Kanter remains optimistic that he'll recover in time for the Western Conference semifinals.
“I tried to play through it tonight,” Kanter said. “We’ll just have to see what happens (Wednesday) and the next day. Hopefully I can play through it.”
Luckily for Portland, the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs will battle it out at least once more game. The Nuggets lead the Spurs 3-2 in their first-round series, with Game 6 slated on Thursday, April 25.
The extra days off are crucial for determining how Kanter feels. The Blazers can ill afford to lose yet another vital frontcourt player, especially considering that they may have to contend with one of LaMarcus Aldridge or Nikola Jokic in the second round.
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