PHOENIX — While much of the offseason focus for the Phoenix Suns has been on reshaping the point guard rotation and reorganizing a coaching staff around first-year head coach Mike Bundenholzer, there has been one piece of the puzzle that has gone largely unnoticed in recent months.
Starting center Jusuf Nurkic was frequently mentioned in trade rumors around the league leading up to the draft, but Arizona Sports insider John Gambadoro shut down the likelihood of a deal happening — largely due to the new coaching staff holding the “Bosnian Beast” in high regard.
Trusting Nurkic is a risky business, but he could prove the franchise right by evolving his game in at least two different ways.
Jusuf Nurkić looks different next season 👀🔥
(h/t @Iceman_34 )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 22, 2024
Nurkic is more or less a finished product in several categories — he’s one of the NBA’s best rebounders, a below-average finisher, a good screen setter and a leg injury that prevents him from being a force as a rim protector in the playoffs — despite grading well in that department during the regular season.
On the other hand, Nurkic has appeared to be in much better shape this summer in clips that have been shared on social media, as well as the obvious trend of him frequently working on his jump shot.
Nurkic shot 40% from three-point range in 2020-21 (on low volume) and 36.1% in 2022-23 with increased volume.
He took a step back last season — shooting just 24.4 percent on 1.2 attempts per night — but the belief is that coach Budenholzer can turn him into something of what Brook Lopez was during his time in Milwaukee.
Tyus Jones, Monte Morris and Mason Plumlee plus the stars of the big three make the Suns a better team than last season, but it could very well come down to how well Nurkic can adapt to a new offensive system.
If he improves as a shooter, both in volume and efficiency, while becoming more agile on the court, that will unlock a whole new area of results for the 2024-25 Suns.
If he doesn’t, the same issues that have plagued the Suns could once again be the cause of the team’s downfall this season – albeit to a lesser extent.
