538 analyzes my second-favorite basketball player

#1 now and always is Shaun Livingston.  However, 538 has done a wonderful analysis of my second favorite player and one of his most interesting...quirks:

Perhaps better than anything else, player statues exemplify what NBA greats were known for during their careers. A bronzed Michael Jordan is soaring over defenders for a dunk in Chicago; John Stockton and Karl Malone look as if they’re completing another successful pick and roll in Utah; and Magic Johnson, who led the Showtime-era Lakers, is leading a fast break. 

If Jusuf Nurkic ever reaches this level of immortality — which, OK, is probably a long shot — his statue would display him getting elbowed in the mouth. The 23-year-old Trail Blazers center is good at many things, but he stands alone in the NBA when it comes to getting whacked in the face.

(link)


Apart from his unique ability to get hit in the face, there are many other good things about Nurkic.  In the era where the big man is supposed to be obsolete, he gives you Bogut-lite defense, shot-blocking, and passing, but is also quick on his feet and has an actual low post game.  He can even do a spin move.  Three and D?  How about a dunk in your face AND ONE?

Nickname
The Bosnian Beast.

Signature quote 1
“We set Zaza screens [in Slovenia].  You set a screen and someone gets injured immediately."

Signature quote 2
"We know I'm not the same guy that I'm supposed to be right now [2017 playoffs].  We all decided to give it a try. The start of the game was pretty OK, a little pain but I tried to fight through. The pain level was high. I played with a broke leg tonight, yeah, I played with pain."

Signature quote 3
“I’m not going to say names, but some of my good friends are OK with scoring 20 points and losing.  I’m not that guy."

Signature quote 4
"If I don't fight for myself, who is going to fight for me?"

Origin story
...is more truth than myth. His cop father, Hariz, really was written up in the local newspaper for his starring role in a brawl that landed 13 people in the hospital. His first agent, Enes Trnovcevic, really did travel to Tuzla, Bosnia, to seek out Hariz and ask whether the larger-than-life policeman (6’10”, well over 400 pounds) had any children interested in translating their genetic advantages to the hardwood. His mother Rusmina, a housewife, really did agree to let Trnovcevic ship off 14-year-old Jusuf to a boarding school in Slovenia, even though her child hadn’t studied the Slovenian language, hadn’t yet hit his growth spurt, and had rarely spent a night away from home. There was also the little matter of Nurkić’s lack of formal basketball training. “On a scale of 1 to 10, I was a minus-10,” he said. “I didn’t even know how to run.”  (link)

Highlights



Career line so far:  20 minutes a game, 10 points, 7 rebounds, a couple of assists, a block.

He is 23, 6-11, and as pure as a Counter-Strike headshot.  Come to think of it, he'd look good in a Warriors jersey...