Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers have been hit with another injury right in midst of one of the most pivotal junctures of the regular season. The team announced on Friday that Jusuf Nurkic will be sidelined through the All-Star break—at least two weeks—after an MRI revealed Portland's starting center suffered a left calf strain.

“Jusuf Nurkic left Wednesday night’s game at Memphis in the first quarter with a left calf injury and did not return. An MRI conducted on Thursday revealed a left calf strain. Nurkic is expected to return after the All-Star break.”

Nurkic left Portland's impressive road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies just two-and-a-half minutes after tipoff, coming up limp after an offensive possession and intentionally fouling to stop play. He never returned to action, ruled out with “soreness” shortly after leaving the game.

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Nurkic initially sustained the calf injury in a win over the Utah Jazz on January 25th, heading to the locker room during the third quarter of Lillard's 60-point explosion. The Bosnian Beast didn't play in the Blazers' subsequent loss to the Toronto Raptors, but returned to score 12 points and grab five rebounds during 26 minutes of play in a victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday before going down in Memphis.

A longtime defensive bellwether for Portland given his imposing size and solid rim-protection ability, Nurkic has struggled this season to make a consistently positive two-way impact. The Blazers will miss him in the paint and on the glass, but backup center Drew Eubanks provides more overall mobility and scheme versatility defensively, also serving as an imminent finishing threat around the basket. Chauncey Billups will no doubt commit further to small-ball lineups with Nurkic out, too, slotting Jerami Grant, Trendon Watford and even second-round rookie Jabari Walker at the five.

Portland, 11th-place in the West at 25-26, is reportedly seeking upgrades as the February 9th trade deadline approaches in hopes of a second-half playoff push. While Nurkic's injury doesn't necessarily factor in that dynamic, his absence could nevertheless be illuminating for a team that needs to make big-picture changes beyond the deadline and this season at large to maximize the remainder of Lillard's prime.