While Deandre Ayton suffered against his former team, Jusuf Nurkic for its part, made a rather successful comeback. For the first time since 2017, he took to the floor of the Moda Center as an opponent, which did not seem to faze him.
Author of 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 interceptions in 21 minutes (+/- +27, the best of the team), the Bosnian interior also took advantage of his return to link the useful to the pleasant.
” I love that “, he explained about his return so early in the season. “It’s a new opportunity for me to get some business back and I’m going to take full advantage of it. It’s a totally different situation than what I experienced when I was younger. (when he was traded from Denver to Portland). And I like the fact that I can come back more often to see the people here, rather than only coming back once a year if I had been in the East.”
Like at home
It was only once he arrived in Portland that he understood that the page had definitely turned, when the Suns took up residence in a hotel in the city. But here again, the pivot made the most of the situation by returning to his home base, until he found the Moda Center… and the visitors’ locker room.
“It’s a bit weird walking into The Nines (the hotel), it really hit me the day before the match. It’s a bit weird, I didn’t want to sleep there. I just slept in my bed last night at my house, so that was good”.
This return was also an opportunity to take stock of his seven years spent in Oregon, with good times, and other more difficult ones, but lots of great memories overall.
“I enjoyed every second. I have thoroughly enjoyed my seven years here, with ups and downs, injuries, victories and everything in between. There are so many people I love here, the organization, the city. For me, there will always be love when I come here, no matter what people think.”he continued. “There are so many memories. To be honest, I couldn’t pick one in particular, but when I got here, that’s probably when I felt the greatest joy playing basketball. Dame, CJ (McCollum), that whole group, Terry (Stotts), it was really fun basketball.”
Phoenix, an exciting new challenge
The memories will remain without bitterness in view of what now awaits him in Arizona, where he was drawn into a major project now guided by the Beal-Booker-Durant trio.
Obviously, Jusuf Nurkic can’t wait to see this famous trio at work in the regular season to begin with.
“I feel like I’m in an even more fun situation for me with the group of guys we have in Phoenix. I can’t wait to compete and be who I am. I’m here to help, whatever it may be.”
From what little he has seen of the new “Big Three” of the Suns, the pivot is convinced that there is enough to give nightmares to a lot of defenses in the NBA in the weeks to come.
“It’s unreal, but at the same time I know how powerful we are and that the whole team is made up of a lot of shooters. For me, it will be easy to play and not even think about my shots. Just looking at it, we scored 47 points in Detroit in the first quarter, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s impressive’ (…). Personally, I love it, but it will take me a little time to realize that every match we play will be in packed houses and everyone will want to see them in action. I have to adapt to this. But at the same time, I love what I’ve seen so far.”
| Jusuf Nurkic | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2014-15 | DEN | 62 | 18 | 44.6 | 0.0 | 63.6 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 6.2 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 6.9 |
| 2015-16 | DEN | 32 | 17 | 41.7 | 0.0 | 61.6 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 8.2 |
| 2016-17 * | All Teams | 65 | 21 | 50.7 | 0.0 | 57.1 | 2.4 | 4.8 | 7.2 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 10.2 |
| 2016-17 * | DEN | 45 | 18 | 50.7 | 0.0 | 49.6 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 8.0 |
| 2016-17 * | POR | 20 | 29 | 50.8 | 0.0 | 66.0 | 3.3 | 7.1 | 10.4 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 15.2 |
| 2017-18 | POR | 79 | 26 | 50.5 | 0.0 | 63.0 | 2.4 | 6.6 | 9.0 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 14.3 |
| 2018-19 | POR | 72 | 27 | 50.8 | 10.3 | 77.3 | 3.4 | 7.0 | 10.4 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 15.6 |
| 2019-20 | POR | 8 | 32 | 49.5 | 20.0 | 88.6 | 2.9 | 7.4 | 10.3 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 17.6 |
| 2020-21 | POR | 37 | 24 | 51.4 | 40.0 | 61.9 | 2.3 | 6.7 | 9.0 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 11.5 |
| 2021-22 | POR | 56 | 28 | 53.5 | 26.8 | 69.0 | 3.0 | 8.1 | 11.1 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 15.0 |
| 2022-23 | POR | 52 | 27 | 51.9 | 36.1 | 66.1 | 2.2 | 6.9 | 9.1 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 13.4 |
| Total | 463 | 24 | 50.2 | 29.2 | 67.1 | 2.5 | 6.1 | 8.6 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 12.3 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
