Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic suffered a calf strain last week, according to Dwight Jaynes of NBC Sports Northwest.
The strain is considered mild and is in Nurkic's right leg, not the left one, which was broken last season:
Jusuf Nurkic is walking normally and the injury is not considered serious, particularly in light of the fact that the Trail Blazer center was back on the court and playing at full speed for the first time since last March 25, when he suffered fractures of the tibia and fibula in his lower left leg. Suffering soreness or slight strains is not considered out of the ordinary in that situation.
There is no timeline for his return but it has always been expected he will be out until after the All-Star break, or longer.
Nurkic had a productive regular season for the Blazers in 2018-19 before he got hurt. The 7-footer averaged 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 blocks while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 77.3 percent from the free-throw line. The 25-year-old recorded 36 double-doubles and one triple-double. The Blazers were 45-27 when Nurkic was in the lineup.
Article Continues BelowThere are some who believe the Blazers could have competed better with the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 Western Conference Finals if Nurkic was playing. Without DeMarcus Cousins, the Warriors didn’t have anyone who could have given Nurkic problems in the post.
It’s unfortunate Nurkic had to suffer the serious injury which he did, but everyone knows he’s going to come back motivated once he is cleared to play again.
Nurkic is making $12 million this season. He will likely back up Hassan Whiteside initially before going back into the Blazers' starting lineup.