The Suns are still paying for past mistakes and Jusuf Nurkic is the latest example.
As the final seconds drained from the clock in the Phoenix Suns’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, I felt it creeping in. The disease of ‘what if’. No amount of Pepto is going to ease the pain in your stomach when the disease begins to seep in.
It’s inevitable when a team stumbles, especially against an opponent they should have handled. The mind starts racing, grasping for answers, unraveling alternate realities where things played out differently. ‘What if’ that shot had fallen? ‘What if’ the rotations had been tighter? ‘What if’ this team was as good as we thought they’d be?
But the truth is, we’ll never know. The ‘what if’ is a mirage, a comforting illusion that offers no real solutions, only more questions. And yet, in moments like these, it’s impossible to ignore.
What if the Suns could grab a defensive rebound? That was the dagger last night.
Phoenix surrendered 14 offensive boards. Five of them in overtime. In the extra period, the Suns didn’t secure a single defensive rebound. Not one. It wasn’t just a flaw; it was the flaw. The difference between a hard-fought win and another frustrating loss.
The disease of ‘what if’ is taking hold of me…
If only Phoenix rostered someone who is good at defensive rebounding. That’s right. I’m going there. What if Jusuf Nurkic played?
For all his faults this season — and there are plenty — defensive rebounding is one area where Jusuf Nurkic thrives. The numbers back it up, as do the advanced metrics. He ranks 16th in the NBA with 7.3 defensive rebounds per game, and his defensive rebounding talent sits in the 100th percentile, earning an A+ grade.
Phoenix gave up 5 offensive rebounds in OT last night and secured 0 defensive rebounds.
You telling me this guy wouldn’t have helped? Things must be so severely fractured that the team would rather lose games than play him. pic.twitter.com/TkVRIys1gl
— John Voita (@DarthVoita) February 4, 2025
Yes, the offensive inefficiency, poor floor spacing, and occasional misguided ambitions of assuming our expectation is that he should play like Kevin Durant can be frustrating. But at the end of the day, Nurkic remains a serviceable player and a quality rebounder. Currently, coach Bud has Nurk buried so deep on the bench that you’d need a treasure map, a metal detector, and a divine revelation just to locate him.
As the trade deadline looms, Nurkic has to be on his way out. There’s no other explanation for why Mike Budenholzer and the Suns have all but shelved him. James Jones has to be working the phones, finding a way to move his $18.1 million contract for something — anything — more productive.
If they don’t, it’s outright malpractice. And depending on what Phoenix has to sacrifice to offload Nurkic, this could turn into yet another trade loss, much like the Bradley Beal deal. The Suns restocked their draft picks, and if their sole purpose is to package them in a deal for Nurkic, it’s just another attempt to right a wrong.
The one thing we need to see is a productive center rotation, one that actually involves both Nick Richards and Jusuf Nurkic. But we haven’t. We’re not even seeing Nick Richards in these pivotal moments, a guy who has proven he can attack the defensive glass and secure the rebound.
Instead, Mason Plumlee is getting far too much run, and if Budenholzer is going with his gut, he might want to get it checked. Because at this point, it’s probably just an ulcer. That’s certainly what this team is giving me watching this unfold.
Yeah, let’s roll with the guy who gives us anything but rebounding when that’s exactly what we need. Brilliant.
The relationship must be beyond repair, so much so that a Richards-Nurkic rotation feels like a fantasy we’ll never see. And that’s disappointing—because on a night like last night, it could have made all the difference.
A physical presence to battle Deandre Ayton? That would have helped. Someone to secure a rebound or at least put a body on Portland’s wings? That might have changed the outcome. But we’ll never know.
Instead, the Suns leave Portland with two losses in their pockets and one lingering question in ours. What if?
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