Portland Trail Blazers' center Jusuf Nurkic won't be playing for the team in the playoffs because of a season-ending leg injury he suffered in late March, but that hasn't stopped him from showing support to his teammates ahead of their first-round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Blazers were treated to a unexpected visitor today: Jusuf Nurkic stopped by the practice facility for a surprise visit, crashing the theater during a film session. "I figured you might need a little help, Coach” Nurkic announced, as the team erupted with an ovation.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) April 13, 2019
Prior to the injury, Nurkic was having one of the best seasons of his young career, averaging 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, posting one of the best net plus-minuses of any player in the league He played a total of 72 games for Portland this year.
It is unclear if Nurkic will be at Moda Center for tomorrow's game, but fans are certainly hoping he'll show up. He's one of the most beloved players on the team, so expect the Moda Center crowd to erupt if they see him on the Blazers' bench.
The Blazers managed to finish the season as the third seed in the West, and would like to avoid a repeat of what happened last year when they get swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. Oklahoma City has the talent to pull off an upset, and many believe the Thunder will win this series despite being the lower seed, but Portland won't be pushovers, either.
Even without Nurkic, the Blazers still have the lethal backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Enes Kanter, who replaced Nurkic in the starting lineup, can at least give Portland production in the middle even if he's overstretched as a starter, especially defensively.
Portland might be short-handed, but is extremely motivated to win, not only for the fans but ,also for their fallen comrade.