With the abrupt first-round exit of the Phoenix Suns, center Jusuf Nurkić made NBA playoff history, but not in a good way.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!According to American artificial intelligence company StatMuse, Nurkić now has the worst win percentage in NBA playoff history out of all players who appeared in at least 20 games, 3-17 (.150). The next lowest was retired NBA forward/guard Darwin Cook who finished his career with a 5-25 (.200) record in the postseason.
Jusuf Nurkic is 3-17 in the playoffs.
That's the worst win percentage (.150) by any player in NBA playoff history with at least 20 games. pic.twitter.com/auTyBS5JaR
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 29, 2024
When analyzing his playoff numbers during his career, Nurkić showed up when the Portland Trail Blazers needed him to be despite the team not achieving postseason success as a whole.
Alongside Damian Lillard among others, the 29-year-old center totaled 12.4 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per playoff game from 2016-2021. After suffering a season-ending injury in the 2018-19 season, Portland went to the Western Conference Finals without him, the only time the Blazers weren’t knocked out in the first round since 2016.
Last September, Nurkić, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson were all traded to Phoenix as part of a three-team trade which sent Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and Deandre Ayton, Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara and a 2029 first-round draft pick to Portland.
This past year, Nurkić averaged a double-double, scoring 10.9 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and four assists in 76 regular season games for the Suns. In the playoffs, the Bosnian native posted 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in four games against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Between the physicality and defensive play style that Minnesota came at Phoenix with, the Suns were unable to find a way to come out with a win. Besides Game 4 where they fell by six, 122-116, Phoenix lost by double digits in every other game.
As the Suns’ offseason officially begins and questions are asked, the trade will continue to spark conversations as to how it panned out and what could have been had this trade not taken place.
If Ayton was still on the Suns, would they have been able to have a better season or would the result have been the same?
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Reporter Alec Cipollini covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
