The Jazz preseason said the quiet part out loud about Jusuf Nurkic

Many were shocked when the Utah Jazz traded Collin Sexton (and a second-round pick) for Jusuf Nurkic, and for all the wrong reasons. Make no mistake, Nurkic is not the player he once was, but many believed his NBA career is on its last legs. If there’s one thing this preseason has proven, it’s that he can still play.

No, Nurkic isn’t the player he was during his heyday with the Portland Trail Blazers, but he proved during the preseason that he still brings a decent amount of money to the table. His screening and play were hard not to notice.

No, Nurkic didn’t play well enough for anyone to think for a second that he would take over Walker Kessler as the center of the Jazz’s starting lineup. However, Nurkic shows offensive chemistry with a fair number of his Jazz teammates.

As an added bonus, he has also shown that he can still spread the floor. While it’s not like the Jazz don’t already have enough of that player archetype on the roster, it’s pretty cool to see him prove to be a sharpshooter when he’s on the floor.

Nurkic has been through a lot in the past two years. After receiving heavy criticism for not being able to hold his own as a starting center for Phoenix, it should be a nice change of pace to be in a pressure-free environment like Utah where he can be a perfectly solid backup.

The question is: will he remain a Jazzman?

Again, a well-rounded offensive big man is something the Jazz already have in abundance on the roster. While Nurkic has shown he still has some grit left, that doesn’t make him any less redundant on the Jazz roster. As impressive as he has been, Utah shouldn’t hold back from playing Kyle Filipowski.

Before he was traded to Utah, many believed he was an albatross deal. That doesn’t appear to be true, as he’s been traded twice in one year and three times since agreeing to an extension in Portland that goes back to 2023.

And now his contract expires after this season ends, and there are playoff teams looking for one. a competent big man and/or b. flexibility of the cap. If Nurkic proves his preseason play wasn’t a fluke, he suddenly becomes an intriguing trade target.

So far, Nurkic has managed to show as a Jazzman that he can still play legitimate NBA minutes. It’s not like Utah would get much in return for him in a trade, but don’t be surprised if a team talks their way into him at some point this season.