Opinion: Jusuf Nurkic would have played if games mattered down the stretch

Jusuf Nurkic (YouTube)

According to the Associated Press on Monday, Utah Jazz centre Jusuf Nurkic of Tuzia, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be out for the remainder of the season with nose surgery. He reportedly has a deviated septum in his nose and has recently been ill. Nurkic has not played in the NBA since February 11 when the Jazz beat the Sacramento Kings 121-93.

A deviated septum is obviously a painful injury. I am not minimizing the nature of the problem. However if the Jazz were playing meaningful games down the stretch at the moment, you would think Nurkic would be playing regular minutes at the center position.

The Jazz are currently at 18 wins and 40 losses, and out of the playoff hunt with under two months left in the regular season schedule. They only have a winning percentage of .310 and are in 13th place in the Western Conference. The Jazz are only better than two teams in the West at the moment–the New Orleans Pelicans at 16 wins and 42 losses and the Sacramento Kings at 13 wins and 46 losses.

Nurkic is averaging a double-double this season. He has 10.9 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. Nurkic also has 4.8 assists per game, 1.3 steals per game, a .503 field goal percentage, .352 three point percentage and a rather poor .549 free throw percentage.

Nurkic’s most notable game this season came on January 20 in a 127-122 Utah win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had 16 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple double. This game was a significant upset as the Jazz were a 12.5 point underdog.