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Portland Trail Blazers injured center Jusuf Nurkic's return has been derailed once more by forces way beyond his control.
The seven-foot Bosnian was supposed to make his season debut sometime in the coming days. He had recovered from a compound fracture in his tibia suffered last year.
It looks like his return will once again be derailed as the NBA suspended its scheduled games for the time being. The suspension was put in place after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the dreaded virus.
Nurkic, however, remained in good spirits and addressed the unfortunate situation on Twitter. The 25-year-old hinted that he won't stress over it and reminded everyone to wash their hands regularly.
It is what it is.
It was what it was.
It will be what it will be.
Don’t stress it
Wash your hands and be safe people ✊🏻 #GodPlan— Jusuf Nurkić 🇧🇦 (@bosnianbeast27) March 12, 2020
The Blazers, meanwhile, were already preparing for Nurkic's return. They had assigned him to the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors before his anticipated return to the lineup on March 15 against the Houston Rockets.
The G League also postponed its games, following the NBA's announcement on Wednesday.
Portland head coach Terry Stotts recently revealed that Nurkic could have been back as early as February if not for several setbacks that hindered his recovery.
The Blazers (29-37) do need all the help they can get as they are currently on the outside of the playoff bubble. They are sitting in ninth place and are trailing the Memphis Grizzlies for that eighth and final playoff spot.
Nurkic averaged 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks last year. He will indeed be a big boost to Portland's struggling interior.
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