NBA Rumors: Season Suspension Good For Returning Nurkic

KEY POINTS

Nurkic was looking forward to return to NBA action
Nurkic gets more time to rest his leg with the league on hold
Blazers need to mentally prepare Nurkic back to playing form

Before NBA commissioner Adam Silver suspended league play, one guy who was set to return was Jusuf Nurkic of the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bosnian was all prepped to return to action and help the Blazers as they continue their quest for a possible playoff spot.

Nurkic is coming off a horrific leg injury that forced him into the sidelines on Mar. 25, 2019. This happened during a double-overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets. Portland went deep into the last season's NBA playoffs with the center slot easily one of their weak points. One could just imagine the difference the 7-footer would have made in the Western Conference Finals. The Blazers were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the finals.

With Nurkic out, the Blazers took in Hassan Whiteside to fill the void. However, the 30-year-old cager hardly helped Portland's cause, a reason why they are now trying to play catch up to make the postseason wars. Nurkick was very excited about his return but now he has to wait and see what the NBA plans to do moving forward.

And while it may be disappointing to him and NBA fans, the added time off could be best for the 16th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. His leg could benefit from added rest although trying to play some games on it would have helped him in the mental aspect. This was covered in detail in a previous post.

The Blazers are 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies and are one of three teams who were trying to make a last-ditch run to the postseason wars. The other NBA teams were the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings. Of the two, the Pelicans are seen as the only team likely to give them a run for their money.

Had he played, Nurkic would have played sparingly. Head coach Terry Stotts was likely to use him on managed minutes, knowing the Bosnian would need time to blend in with the team. Hence, the heavy load still rests on the shoulders of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum with scoring help coming from Carmelo Anthony. Whiteside needs to play with some sense of urgency as well, focusing more on rebounding and protecting the paint.