Jusuf Nurkic saved the Portland Trail Blazers season. When Neil Olshey, traded for the center, little was made of the transaction. A porous team making a minuscule move before the trade deadline. What came next little saw coming. The Blazers won 14 games, fought to get into the playoffs, had the 5th best offensive rating, along with an improved 12th best defensive rating after the acquisition of Nurkic
Then catastrophe struck as Nurkic was diagnosed with a fractured leg right before the playoffs. When asked in exit interviews how long the injury will take, Nurkic gave a surprising answer according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian.
Nurkic said he expects it to take 2-3 months for his leg to fully heal.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) April 25, 2017
What is shocking about this revelation is the fact that Jusuf played in game 3 against the Warriors in the playoffs. Despite fracturing his leg just weeks ago, he tallied 16 minutes, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and was a +8. All while apparently on a bad leg! The Portland Trail Blazers will be crossing their fingers in hopes of a successful recovery for the big man because he has quickly become extremely important for their future.
