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Portland Trail Blazers center 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.
The Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, July 6 re-signed center Jusuf Nurkic and guard Anfernee Simons.
“It was incredibly important to us to bring back both Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons as key pieces of our core,” said Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin. “Nurk’s physicality, rebounding prowess and defensive acumen make him an integral part of what we do on both sides of the ball.” Cronin continued, “Anfernee is already one of the league’s top shooters and this past season he showed elite ability as a shot creator and distributor. We are excited for him to continue the growth he has shown in his first four seasons in Portland.”
Nurkic, 27, averaged 15.0 points (53.5% FG, 69.0% FT), a career-high 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.11 steals in 56 games (all starts) for the Trail Blazers during the 2021-22 season. One of eight NBA players to average at least 15 points and 11 rebounds last season, Nurkic led the Trail Blazers in rebounds and ranked second in points while his 30 double-doubles marked the second-most of any season during his career.
Originally acquired by the Trail Blazers in a trade from Denver on February 13, 2017, Nurkic (7-0, 285) has averaged 14.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.00 steal and 1.25 blocks in 272 games (271 starts) over five-plus seasons in Portland. The Trail Blazers have a record of 160-112 (.588) with Nurkic in the lineup over that span.
Selected by Chicago with the 16th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Nurkic holds career averages of 12.2 points (50.0% FG, 67.2% FT), 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.91 steals and 1.19 blocks in 411 games (330 starts) over eight seasons with the Trail Blazers and Nuggets.
Simons, 23, averaged career highs of 17.3 points (44.3% FG, 40.5% 3-PT, 88.8% FT), 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 57 games (30 starts) for the Trail Blazers during the 2021-22 season. His scoring average was a 9.5-point increase over his 2020-21 season average, representing the largest jump in the NBA for players who played a minimum of 50 games in both seasons. In his 27 appearances after becoming a full-time starter on January 3, Simons averaged 23.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists.
One of the most prolific young shooters in the NBA, Simons (6-3, 195) had 24 games with at least five three-pointers before turning 23, tied for the third-most in league history by a player age 22 or younger. In addition, Simons is the only player in NBA history with multiple games of nine or more three-pointers before turning 23 (three). Simons became the youngest player in franchise history to score 40-plus points in a game when he scored a career-high 43 points against Atlanta on January 3, 2022.
Selected by Portland with the 24th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Simons holds career averages of 10.2 points (42.5% FG, 39.2% 3-PT, 83.3% FT), 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 211 games (35 starts) for the Trail Blazers.
Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic has been fined $40,000 for confronting a fan courtside and grabbing the fan’s cell phone and throwing it into the spectator stands, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.
The incident occurred following the Trail Blazers’ 129-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers on March 20 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic will be out at least four weeks with left foot plantar fasciitis, the team announced today.
Nurkic has played through symptoms of plantar fasciitis since September. He will continue his treatment and recovery program and will be reevaluated in four weeks.
In 56 games (all starts) this season, Nurkic has averaged 15.0 points (53.5% FG, 26.8% 3-PT, 69.0% FT), 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.11 steals. His field goal percentage and rebounding average are career highs. Nurkic has recorded 30 double-doubles this season, which ranks eighth in the NBA.
Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic continues to progress in his recovery from a right wrist fracture, it was announced today by Trail Blazers president of basketball operations, Neil Olshey.
Nurkic, who suffered the injury on January 14 versus Indiana, continues to increase his on-court activity and will be reevaluated later next week. Further updates will be provided accordingly.
In 12 games this season, Nurkic is averaging 9.8 points (48.5% FG, 25.0% 3-PT, 55.6% FT), 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 23.3 minutes.
“As if falling 111-87 to the Indiana Pacers in the second game of a back-to-back wasn’t bad enough, the Trail Blazers also lost Jusuf Nurkic to a broken right wrist suffered in the third quarter of Thursday night’s contest at the Moda Center.
“Obviously it’s very disappointing for (Nurkic) and for us,” said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. “He had a long road back from his other injury, he had a rough start of the season, looked like he was getting back on track. Obviously this is a big setback both for him and for us.” …
Nurkic suffering another serious injury roughly six months after returning from a compound fracture in his left leg, an injury sustained in March of 2019, feels especially cruel. Factor in losing his grandmother to COVID-19 while the Trail Blazers were in the Orlando bubble and other unspecified personal issues he’s been dealing with this season and one comes away feeling especially disappointed for the fun-loving Bosnian.”
As 22 NBA teams prepare to resume play later this month, the Trail Blazers are getting a key player back in action. Here’s NBC Sports Northwest reporting:
July 23 against the Pacers will be the first competitive game the Blazers have played since mid-March.
For Jusuf Nurkic, it will be the first time he is getting up and down the court against someone other than his own teammates since March 2018, when he suffered a broken left leg.
Even though the Bosnian Beast and the rest of the Trail Blazers starters will play limited minutes, Nurkic is excited about Thursday’s scrimmage against the Pacers.
“Just to play the game. I have no restrictions, so I’m feeling great, excited to play the game. I don’t know about that scrimmage, I think it’s more preseason style. We’re going to have jerseys on, so I don’t know why they call a scrimmage that. We televise it too, so I’m not sure about that. I think it’s just excitement… I’m really looking forward to playing.” — Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic
At 29-37, the Blazers sit 3.5 games behind the Western conference 8-seed Grizzlies. Portland will reportedly be without the services of Trevor Ariza, but getting Nurkic back could be a huge boost. He hasn’t played yet this season but in 2018-19 averaged 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
Additionally, Zach Collins will also be active for the Blazers once again.
It’s an incredibly tight race just outside the West 8-spot. The Blazers have a 43.9% winning percentage, while the Pelicans and Kings are a 43.8%. We look forward to seeing what sort of effect Nurkic has for the squad.
The Trail Blazers yesterday re-signed center Jusuf Nurkic.
According to ESPN.com, the deal is a a four-year, $48 million contract.
Nurkic averaged 14.3 points (50.5% FG, 63.0% FT), 9.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.41 blocks and 26.4 minutes in 79 games (all starts) for the Trail Blazers last season.
“As a 23-year old starting center, Jusuf is an integral part of the core of this roster,” said Olshey. “He has been an impactful addition since joining our team and we are excited about the prospect of this long-term commitment leading to continued individual and team success.”
According to ESPN.com, “Nurkic, 23, turned down a more lucrative four-year deal several months ago, but the marketplace has tightened and he chose to take this deal on Friday, sources said. The deal includes a partial guarantee in the fourth year.”
Nurkic averaged career bests in points and rebounds last season while leading the Trail Blazers with 27 double-doubles. He finished tied for ninth in the NBA in blocks per game and tied for 13th in the league in rebounds per game.
The Trail Blazers acquired Nurkic from Denver on February 13, 2017 along with a 2017 first round draft pick in exchange for Mason Plumlee, a 2018 second round draft pick and cash considerations. After joining Portland, Nurkic averaged 15.2 points (50.8% FG, 66.0% FT), 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.90 blocks and 29.2 minutes in 20 games (19 starts) to finish the 2016-17 season.
Originally selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft, Nurkic was traded to Denver in a draft night deal.
In four seasons with Denver and Portland, Nurkic holds career averages of 10.4 points (48.5% FG, 61.2% FT), 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 21.6 minutes in 238 games (157 starts).
Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, who was part of the big Trail Blazers turnaround that took place when he arrived from the team in trade from the Nuggets, has a fracture in his leg but is returning much earlier than anticipated and will be playing hurt against the Warriors. Here’s CSNNW reporting:
From doubtful to starting! The Bosnian Beast is back!
The Trail Blazers announced Nurkić will play in Game 3 vs. the Golden State Warriors at the Moda Center Saturday night.
Nurkic fractured fibula in his right leg on March 28th and was expected to miss at least two weeks before he was re-assessed.
Before the series, Nurkić told reporters, “if it was up to me I’d play right now.”