Last March, Portland Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic suffered a devastating leg injury that was similar to the injury Gordon Hayward sustained on opening night in 2017-18.
While there is no specific timetable for Nurkic's return, Marc J. Spears of ESPN said on SportsCenter that that he's “hearing Nurkic may be a little bit closer.”
Then, Nurkic himself provided an update, saying that we won't be seeing him in 2019:
Sources: Portland Centar Jusuf Nurkić rehab is going good but No!
No Nurk in 2019 #ripcity 🇧🇦 https://t.co/7EW5k33c8L— Jusuf Nurkić (@bosnianbeast27) November 20, 2019
Keep in mind that Nurkic only said 2019, so it's entirely possible that we may see him once the calendar year flips to 2020.
Of course, based on the severity of Nurkic's injury, there is also a chance we may not see the center at all this season, so Blazers fans should probably keep their expectations tempered.
Nurkic played in 72 games last season, averaging 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and one steal over 27.4 minutes per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 77.3 percent from the free-throw line.
The 25-year-old was originally selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round (16th pick overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft but was immediately traded to the Denver Nuggets.
He spent two-and-a-half seasons in Denver, but knee issues prevented him from breaking out and limited his playing time in general.
The Nuggets traded Nurkic to the Blazers midway through the 2016-17 campaign, and since then, the Bosnian has flourished.
During his first full season in Portland in 2017-18, Nurkic registered 14.3 points and nine boards across 26.4 minutes a night while making 50.5 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Portland is just 5-10 on the season thus far.
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