Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić is struggling to begin his second season with the team and while the outside noise is questioning his performances, he still has the full support from the team around him to succeed and contribute at a high level.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!After Nurkić played just 15 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday and scored four points, Suns star Devin Booker tried to uplift him with encouraging words, wanting him to know that team has his back.
“He understands what it is and you never want the weight when you play bad. He’s a competitor, so he’s going to come in and he’s going to play better,” Booker said. “We are going to rally behind him and we are going to do whatever we need to do. We know what he’s capable of and we seen it last game, so we are with him.”
“He is a competitor, so he’s going to come in and he’s going to play better.”
Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker still believes in Jusuf Nurkic after he was benched against the Los Angeles Lakers, saying the team will “rally behind him.”#SunsUp #NBA #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/OAiuP6bzRu
— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) October 29, 2024
Nurkić has played 30-plus minutes only once this season, an impressive double-double display in the Suns’ 114-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks where he had 18 points and 14 rebounds. He also chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds in the season-opening 116-113 overtime victory vs. the Los Angeles Clippers.
Despite the standout performance and a few flashes of what he can provide on a regular basis, however, his season so far has been overshadowed by inconstistency.
In the first four games, the 7-foot center is a minus-36 on the court and is averaging four turnovers a game. His struggles with finishing at the rim, in defensive areas, turnovers and overall scoring have all been apparent at certain points, with some even hurting his team negatively.
It is the start of the season and Nurkić only played one of five preseason games due to a finger injury, so there may be some rust and a few adjustments he needs to make to thrive in head coach Mike Budenholzer’s system.
But with his teammates continuing to believe he has what it takes to be an important piece to the squad, that will only boost Nurkić’s confidence and could help him on the court as well.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
