Suns center Jusuf Nurkic made a statement in his season debut, silencing doubts about his recovery after head coach Mike Budenholzer’s earlier remarks suggested he wasn’t ready. Despite dealing with a middle finger injury and missing the preseason, Nurkic stepped onto the court against the Lakers, determined to prove he’s back in form. And he did just that.
Before the game, Budenholzer announced, “Nurk’s gonna play,” but not without implying earlier that Nurkic’s recovery wasn’t smooth, saying, “there’s nothing like playing basketball.” That comment didn’t sit well with Nurkic, who fired back, “Talk is cheap. He’s big on accountability, and so am I.” The tension seemed to fuel Nurkic, who delivered an impressive 12 points and 4 rebounds in just 12 minutes.
While the Suns’ stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant led the charge, Nurkic’s contribution off the bench was crucial, especially as he stretched the floor and even knocked down a three-pointer, already working towards his goal of improving from last season’s 1.2 attempts per game.
It looks like Nurkic is back, and if Budenholzer wasn’t sure before, he’ll definitely get to see Nurk in action plenty in the coming games. As the Suns eye a strong season, the big man is ready to play his part.
