How New Suns Center Jusuf Nurkic Replaces Deandre Ayton

Jusuf Nurkic is one of the newest members of the Phoenix Suns along with being one of the most scrutinized- what is to be expected from him this season?

Jusuf Nurkic is entering his first season with the Phoenix Suns and is set to replace Deandre Ayton as the team's starting center. The Bosnian beast has said all the right things since landing in Phoenix and fans can already see why he was so beloved by teammates in Portland. 

The Suns acquiring the big man for his on-court prowess drew a polarized response, however. Not everyone was thrilled with the Suns deciding on making a "downgrade" from Ayton, but Nurkic provides qualities the former Suns big man didn't - potentially raising the ceiling of this team. 

Passing

Nurkic has long been considered one of the best passers in the game among bigs. The ability for the seven-footer to use his eyes to manipulate defenses is very rarely seen in bigs. Perhaps only Nikola Jokic, Alperen Sengun, and Domantas Sabonis are better passers. 

Even then, Nurkic's feel for the game and knack to make the right play was on display in his five-assist effort against his former team on Thursday night.

Jusuf Nurkic passing.

📹⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YvGthFKkjL

— Nashty (@spacecreator13) October 11, 2023

Rebounding

Nurkic actually averages less rebounds per game than Ayton for their careers, but fares better in advanced stats, such as defensive rebounding percentage. The advanced numbers essentially show that Nurkic is a more consistent rebounder on both the offensive and defensive side.

Here's a comparison of Nurkic and Ayton's interior defensive numbers.

Ayton was better in drop coverage and post defense but Nurk was better at protecting the rim and deterring shots near the basket.

🗃️Grades are filtered down to rotation bigs from last season
(Post 2 of 5) pic.twitter.com/BVaz2HcJKE

— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) September 29, 2023

Rebounding is obviously a part of the game that doesn't get focused on as much, but Nurkic and his ability/discipline in boxouts along with the passing ability will likely set up easy opportunities for the team to score on both ends. 

Post Skill

Top 5 in posts-ups per game / points per post touch:

1. Nikola Jokic: 8.6 / 0.52
2. Joel Embiid: 7.7 / 0.50
3. Luka Doncic: 6.6 / 0.91 (WHAT!?!?)
4. Zion Williamson: 6.2 / 0.59
5. Jusuf Nurkic: 5.9 / 0.64 pic.twitter.com/Rx95BzPuKV

— Lucas Burns (@nba_indepth) November 10, 2022

The challenge with Nurkic and his ability in the post is the leg injury he suffered in 2019. That injury has significantly handicapped his ability to be nimble when navigating the post. 

Despite the athletic limitations, Nurkic still possesses a strong array of post moves to make up for it. 

If Nurkic can figure things out on the defensive end and stay healthy, the acquisition could end up being a steal - at least in the short term.