Jusuf Nurkic played a key role for the Phoenix Suns last season. As the team’s starting center, he averaged 10.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 76 games. The big man, however, struggled in the Suns’ first-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The “Bosnian Beast” had trouble dealing with the Timberwolves’ Twin Tower combo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. Nurkic’s numbers dipped as the Suns couldn’t win one game in the playoffs.
Although the NBA is still in the offseason, the center is already working on his game. He went on Instagram to share a video of himself shooting 3-pointers.
Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.
It didn’t take long for fans to react to the clip:
“We’ve seen Ben Simmons do this every offseason for 3 years”
@utdmikey_ expressed what most must have been thinking:
“Why is he shooting three when we all know he won’t do that inna game?”
One fan thought the workout was useless:
“Bros doing all that to just get s**t on by Zach Edey”
Another fan had the same thought:
“Bro ain't no one kicking it out to Nurkic on the 3pt line lol.”
Jusuf Nurkic must be planning to expand his range starting next season. He is averaging just 0.6 attempts from behind the arc in his career.
Last season, Nurkic averaged 1.2 shots from deep. He might be hoping to add to his offensive arsenal.
Per Basketball Reference, Nurkic’s attempts were mainly within three feet of the basket where he had 50.4% efficiency. He shot 31.1% from 3-10 feet and 24.4% from rainbow distance for Phoenix last season. The “Bosnian Beast” has his work cut out for him to become an outside threat.
The Phoenix Suns added depth behind Jusuf Nurkic
The Minnesota Timberwolves exposed the Phoenix Suns’ lack of frontcourt depth behind Jusuf Nurkic. When Nurkic got into foul trouble, the Suns used Drew Eubanks, who was undersized against Minnesota’s frontline. To address that need, Phoenix added Mason Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro.
Phoenix hopes the 6-foot-10, 255-pound Plumlee will be more competitive coming off the bench. Plumlee averaged 5.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the LA Clippers last season. He started in 11 of the 46 games he saw action.
Meanwhile, Ighodaro will likely need most of his time in the G League to improve his game. He will be called if Jusuf Nurkic or Mason Plumlee gets injured. The No. 22 pick in this year’s draft has decent shooting and rim-finishing ability but will need more seasoning.
Phoenix has superstars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal leading the team. Perhaps the frontline reinforcements will be a crucial boost to their championship aspirations.
Phoenix Suns Fans? Check out the latest Suns depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.