As far as 8th seed contenders and potential first round matchups for the Los Angeles Lakers are concerned, the majority of the focus has been on the Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans, as well as the current 8th place Memphis Grizzlies. But another team that has hopes of not only getting to the playoffs, but also a belief that they could give the Lakers trouble in a playoff series are the Portland Trail Blazers. And the biggest factor in why there is some reason to believe they could sneak in is that perhaps no other team has benefitted more from the shutdown from a health perspective.
The biggest reason for optimism, both in a literal and strategic sense, is center Jusuf Nurkic. The center, who is also represented by Klutch Sports, says that the shutdown helped his health a great deal.
“I have a great effect,” Nurkic told reporters on Friday. “I’m as healthy as possible.”
Nurkic has often been considered a strong defender and passer, but in 2018-29, prior to a leg injury that he’s spent the last 14 months rehabbing, he also had his most efficient season as a scorer, with points per shot attempt that ranked in the 39th percentile among bigs, the best single-season ranking of his career of his among centers, according to Cleaning The Glass. However, he will only have eight games to make an impact, but he does feel prepared to showcase some new things, including his 3-point shot.
“I feel great. During this process and being on the bench, I’ve been in a lot of different perspectives. The shooting (3-pointers) part is more about coach and what the team needs,” Nurkic said. “I feel like I can shoot more this year and I’m capable of shooting those, to take them consistently. I’ve been working on it for a while now, it’s not something that I consider to be a new thing. It’s just I’ve been allowed to work on it.”
In addition to Nurkic, the Blazers will also have their starting power forward from the start of the season, Zach Collins, fully available. However, the Blazers will be without Trevor Ariza, who opted out of the NBA Restart for family reasons.
[lawrence-related id=32101,27885]