One week after finally admitting Damian Lillard's season was over, the Portland Trail Blazers clarified the status of two other franchise pillars who have been sidelined with nagging injuries.
The Blazers announced on Monday that Anfernee Simons (left knee patellar tendinopathy) and Jusuf Nurkic (left foot plantar fasciitis) would miss the remainder of 2021-22.
Some injury updates: https://t.co/7Vs95DNoFR
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 28, 2022
Though Portland's initial statements on the injuries to Simons and Nurkic left open the possibility of them returning this season, it's been apparent since then that both would likely remain on the sidelines with Lillard as the Blazers tank for draft positioning.
Simons last played on March 5th, dropping 38 points and nine triples in a hard-fought loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He sat out Portland's following game with a quad contusion, then the Blazers announced a few days later that he'd be “re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks” after an MRI confirmed mild tendinopathy in his left patellar.
A restricted free agent this summer, Simons has already publicly committed to re-signing in Portland. A leading candidate for Most Improved Player this season, he averaged career-highs of 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, blowing up as the Blazers' primary ball handler ever since Lillard went down for good after the New Year. Simons, still just 22, will enter 2022-23 as a first-time starter, entrenched as a long-term building block.
Nurkic was shelved after the All-Star break, which the rebuilt Blazers entered on a stunning 4-0 surge. The team first announced on February 23rd that he'd miss at least four weeks with plantar fasciitis in his left prior to being reevaluated. Invigorated by a larger offensive role with Lillard out and Portland sending away C.J. McCollum and Norman Powell at the trade deadline, Nurkic averaged 17.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists over his last 24 games this season on average efficiency. He remained Portland's defensive bellwether despite changing personnel, too.
Nurkic is an unrestricted free agent come July, but all signs point to him re-upping with the Blazers on a multi-year deal.
Just like it was for Lillard, this writing was on the wall for Simons and Nurkic when their injuries were first announced. Both have made progress toward a full recovery, key for contract negotiations this summer and their status as team cornerstones while the Blazers embark on a long-awaited re-tool ahead of 2022-23.
Follow Us
Subscribe