Getty Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic
The scary injury suffered by Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic near the end of the regular season made plenty of headlines. It was certainly a tough scene to watch, but the Blazers big man is trending in the right direction and is obviously still supporting his teammates during their 2019 NBA Playoff run.
And with Monday’s second-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets on the road, Nurkic will likely be watching from home. Even still, he made sure it was obvious that he was ready for Dame Time with a tweet that featured one emoji.
The watch emoji is, of course, a reference to Nurkic’s teammate Damian Lillard, who points to his wrist when he starts to heat up as a way to show that it’s “Dame Time.”
Jusuf Nurkic’s Appearance During Game 5 of Blazers vs. Thunder
Nurkic is out for the remainder of the season after he landed awkwardly and suffered the gruesome injury which left players, coaches and fans shocked. His leg was covered and he was taken to the hospital after that.
The following day, The Athletic’s Shams Charania revealed Nurkic underwent surgery on compound fractures and pointed out some positive news in the fact that he suffered no nerve or muscle damage.
Although Nurkic was not at the Blazers’ Game 5 win over the Thunder which clinched their spot in the second round early on, he decided to come during the second half. As The Athletic’s Jason Quick revealed, Nurkic got ready to go with three minutes left in the third quarter and arrived at the 3:20 mark in the fourth with the team trailing.
Jusuf Nurkic said he started dressing at home with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. By the time he arrived there was 3:20 left in game and Blazers down 113-105. “I knew I could make a difference,” he said.
Following the wild victory, Nurkic spoke to NBC Sports Southwest and offered a brutally honest reason for why he decided to head to the arena.
“By the end of the third quarter, I was like ‘f*** it’ I’m just going to go there and show up. I know if I show up, we’re going to win this game, I had zero doubt. So I was very proud of this team, I love this city.” Nurkic said.
Jusuf Nurkic’s Impressive 2018-19 Season
The injury was obviously a brutal blow for both Nurkic and the team, but the 24-year-old had put together an impressive season prior to the injury. He posted marks of 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game, and he had improved as an all-around player while shooting a career-best 77.3 percent from the free throw line.
Through the month of March, Nurkic thrived by averaging 16.8 points and 11.8 rebounds while helping the Blazers win four straight and seven of eight before the injury. Fans are hopeful to see the big man back on the floor early on in the 2019-20 season, but no official update has been provided to this point on his injury rehab.
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