Jusuf Nurkic has played a pivotal role for the Portland Trail Blazers in recent seasons and he has lofty expectations for himself next season. While the NBA discusses when to begin next season, Nurkic spoke about his personal goals for the 2020-2021 season on the latest Let's Get Technical podcast.
https://youtu.be/aQMJKzBLbz0
Within his podcast appearance, Nurkic shared his desire to be an NBA All-Star in the upcoming season. The Bosnian center proved to be a key contributor for the Blazers despite missing the majority of the 2019-2020 season.
Altogether, Nurkic would play in just eight games for Portland, with all of them coming after the NBA restart in the bubble. Nurkic would average a career-best 17.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, and four assists per game this past season.
He would also continue to show his prowess on the defensive end, notching two blocks per game. The 26-year-old big man knows he has to improve if the Blazers hope to be a legitimate contender next season.
Following the NBA restart, Portland was able to secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. However, by clinching a playoff spot, the Blazers drew the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the postseason, being eliminated in five games.
Heading into next season, the Blazers boast a dynamic trio in Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Nurkic. Portland is also expected to be a team that considers making a few moves in the offseason to position themselves better for a deeper run in the playoffs.
In recent seasons, the center position has become an idea of the past and some teams are moving toward playing positionless basketball. Nevertheless, even with plenty of talented big men in the Western Conference, Nurkic believes he can earn his first All-Star selection in 2020-2021 with the Blazers.
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