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Before the NBA reboot in the Disney World bubble, Jusuf Nurkic had only played five playoff games in his career. In those five competitions, he’s averaged 9.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks on 47.6 percent of shooting – not the numbers Portland Trail Blazers fans are used to seeing these days. this.
What fans are used to, even after returning from his leg injury, is Nurkic posting 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks with remarkable stability in the bubble. But the two playoff games against the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t have the same consistency.
In Game 1, he had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the first quarter alone and finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. But in Game 2, when most of Portland’s players underperformed, he had just nine points and eight rebounds. Notably, he has only collected five assists so far.
The Lakers are touting one of the biggest rosters in the league because Anthony Davis doesn’t want to play center. With him at the forefront and one of Dwight Howard or Javale McGee on the ground for much of the 48 minutes, Nurkic has a lot of physical competition in the paint.
As a result, his shots, rebounds, and play become much more important. So far, none of them are quite where they need to be for Portland to potentially end the Crisis.
Despite a solid 16-point outing in Game 1, Nurkic shoots a combined 8/21 on the field of the series. He was deliberately left open on the perimeter and fired, trying five three pointers – making two of them – and several midrange jumpers. These snaps are fun to watch when they drop, but historically they haven’t been a high percentage of searches for the big man.
On the other hand, the Lakers made up for the poor outside shot by smashing the offensive glass. They passed Portland 31-15 in the first two contests, leading to far too many second chance opportunities. It wasn’t all Nurkic’s fault, but especially in Game 2 he looked a bit slow to grab the rebounds and got Davis on the road early via setbacks.
The most crucial aspect of Nurkic’s game that needs to be improved to compete with the Lakers is the way he plays. LA didn’t cover or blitz Damian Lillard as hard as expected in Game 1, but they brought out a second defender more frequently in Game 2 to disrupt him before initiating the offense.
Lillard recognized the Lakers trying to channel him in places on the floor and had this to say after the game:
“I kept hearing them screaming ‘box, box, box’ and a guy was coming, and they were trying to keep me in a locked up area … I think I’m going to have to give up and trust them to score and make them pay.
When the doubles team arrives, Nurkic often positions himself on the free throw line or elbow extended to be a relief valve. And if he sets up a screen in the middle of the doubles team, he still serves as a dump valve on a small roll, ending with the ball in a similar location. so that the faint that Lillard refers to will most often go to her big man of confidence.
Where Nurkic catches those passes offers more room but less momentum than he’s used to having as a roll. As such, he will need to attack the basket on the dribble and simultaneously examine the wings and corners to find open teammates spotting or cutting. Nurkic, although a much improved passer, doesn’t find his teammates as successful on the move. He is a stationary passer-by.
If he doesn’t faint all the way to the wings or reach the edge, he’ll be in a dead zone on the court. Last year, Nurkic shot 38.6% in unrestricted area paint; among 31 centers who have attempted more than 100 of those shots this season, he’s ranked 25e.
Even though wings like CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. shoot below their season average on Nurkic kickouts, attack points per possession increase dramatically as they attempt three instead of two. From an analytical standpoint, this exchange greatly benefits the Portland offensive.
Nurkic’s pass also makes it easier for Lillard and McCollum to score the dribble. The center can initiate the offense at the top of the arc by finding their guards slaloming through screens for a three-point try or a cut to the rim. These are the type of stationary passes he is most comfortable performing, and Game One’s opening quarter exemplified the success this style of attacking can have.
Nurkic was arguably Portland’s second-most important player in classification games – his contributions were absolutely necessary for the team to reach the playoffs. That remains the truth in this first round series, potentially even more so with the fact that LA relies on the bounce and points in the paint. If he can improve his shooting selection, stay strong on the glass, and find open teammates when the Lakers sell on Lillard, the Blazers will be in good shape.
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