What's the Best 'Bigger Role' for Jusuf Nurkic Offensively?

Jusuf Nurkic wants a bigger role going forward. What does his best one look like with Chauncey Billups' Trail Blazers?

Jusuf Nurkic didn't mince words after the Trail Blazers were eliminated from the playoffs by the short-handed Denver Nuggets. Not only was his future in Portland uncertain, but Nurkic was fed up with his place in the team's offensive hierarchy.

"I wish my role was bigger. I think I could help more," he said. "Like I said, I was really respectful and tried to do what they asked of me."

Terry Stotts is gone now, and Nurkic being on the roster past the August 3 guarantee date for the final year of his contract is a formality. 

A month later, threats of his potential departure seem more like thinly-veiled messages to the front office about the need for a different coach. How else to interpret Nurkic being told by management that the Blazers' only significant change heading into next season would come on the sidelines?

Portland can offer Nurkic up to a four-year, $64.5 million extension once his current deal becomes guaranteed. Injury concerns be damned, the Blazers will likely make Nurkic that offer. With Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum accounting for more than 60 percent of the salary cap through 2023-24, cash-strapped Portland needs to take advantage of Bird Rights whenever possible.

The same financial dynamics that will basically force the Blazers' hand into ponying up the dough for Norman Powell this summer apply to Nurkic's extension. Limited as Portland's ceiling may be with its core in place for another multi-year run, Neil Olshey doesn't have avenues to replace the high-priced salary slots of Powell and Nurkic other than trades that seem increasingly unlikely.

Whether Nurkic will sign that extension, even coming off back-to-back seasons marred by injury, is a different question, one that largely hinges on his perception of Lillard's future. Nurkic has already made clear that doesn't want be in Portland without the best player in franchise history.

But the notion put forth by Billups during his introductory press conference about expanding Nurkic's role offensively will loom large when it comes time to put pen to paper, too.

"I think Big Nurk is an asset," Billup said. "I think that he can score more than he has in the past."

Like all centers possessing a modicum of comfort with their back to the basket, it's safe to say Nurkic wants more touches on the block going forward. Billups seems open to giving them to him, but the Blazers' rookie head coach no doubt understands the inefficient nature of post play from all but the league's most dominant behemoths. 

Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are in a different stratosphere than Nurkic as low-block scorers. Situational plodders like Jonas Valanciunas and even DeMarcus Cousins stand apart from Nurkic in that capacity. 

He averaged 0.74 points per possession on 2.2 post-ups per game in 2020-21, per NBA.com/stats, in the 17th percentile among all players. Nurkic shot an inefficient 41.9 percent on post-ups, but the bigger problem was his low rate of free throw attempts and high rate of turnovers. He was worse in the playoffs, too, especially damning given the Nuggets mostly left Nurkic on an island, guarded one-on-one by Jokic.

There's just no evidence that Nurkic or the Blazers would be better off if he got a more steady diet of touches down low. Good thing that Billups understands the offensive strengths Nurkic actually brings to the table, then.

"He's a really good facilitator," Billups said of Nurkic, "moving him around, putting the ball in his hands, moving Dame and C.J. off of the ball a little bit."

Nurkic's best and most scalable attribute offensively has always been his passing, whether facilitating from the elbow and high post or making plays on the roll. 

Nuanced, no-look dimes like this are normally reserved for primary ball handlers.

Nurkic maps the floor like those ball-dominant playmakers, regularly seeing the game a half step of the defense. Billups plans for Portland to rely less on ball screens than it did under Stotts, but Nurkic will have ample opportunity to create for teammates behind the play with a numbers advantage regardless.

Where much of his additional usage could come under Billups is as a perimeter table-setter, flanked by four shooters spreading the court to its halfcourt limit. Expect even more split action with Nurkic working toward the perimeter, ready to exploit even the smallest of missteps with a backdoor dime as defenses tangle with off-ball screens, slips and cuts.

What could further unlock Nurkic as a playmaker and sate his evident desire to put up bigger numbers? Greater strides as a three-point shooter.

Nurkic shot 12-of-30 from beyond the arc in 2020-21, easy career-highs in both makes and attempts. While that sample size isn't nearly big enough to expect Nurkic to maintain 40 percent three-point shooting in the future, the film suggests his newfound proficiency from deep wasn't a fluke.

This shot will be for Nurkic pretty much whenever he wants, or at least until he makes it enough for defenses to take it away.

And what happens when defenders are forced to close-out hard to prevent him from getting a clean look off the pop?

Nurkic won't ever be Kristaps Porzingis, obviously, and mid-career shooting evolution like Brook Lopez's seems outside the realm of realistic possibility, too. 

But Nurkic's burgeoning comfort from three—even if his volume remains relatively low—is indicative of how his value to both Portland and the league at large will increase if he reimagines his ideal role offensively. Becoming a bigger part of the offense doesn't necessarily have to mean more touches on the block given his passing talents and natural touch. 

The Blazers are counting on internal improvement to level up in the West next season. A rising tide lifts all boats, and the same goes for an impactful backline rim-protector who doubles as a playmaking hub and legitimate three-point threat. 

Here's hoping Nurkic, with Billups' support, fully embraces that identity—both for his sake and Portland's.

READ MORE: What is the 'Right Situation' for Jusuf Nurkic to Return to the Blazers?