The Phoenix Suns finally returned to winning ways on Tuesday - and at home no less- snapping a five-game losing streak with an impressive 127-100 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. A victory made all the sweeter by the fact both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal returned to action.
The duo had a massive part to play in the win - they both chipped in with 23 points behind Devin Booker's team-leading 26 - while Beal's defensive abilities were on full display. A chase down block on LeBron James of all people one of the highlights of the night.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer also had praise for Jusuf Nurkic.
It's clear the Suns have a Nurkic problem, although how exactly they fix it is another issue. Coming up with mock trades for the center is difficult, both because the Suns are in the second apron and because Nurkic's trade value is as low as it has ever been. He's limited in what he can do, and we now have enough evidence that he can't help potentially elite teams get closer to a championship.
He continues to start for the franchise - despite backup Mason Plumlee making a case for a bigger role - and his 27 minutes versus the Lakers equalled that of Beal, although he was on a light minutes restriction. Anthony Davis has typically destroyed Nurkic in head-to-head play, and he did finish with 25 points and 15 boards.
Nurkic was also yanked from the game early, with rookie Oso Ighodaro getting some run and finishing with seven points and five rebounds himself. This group continues to get flashes from both Ighodaro and Dunn, and that tends to come when Nurkic is sitting. Coach Budenholzer wasn't having it though, and was quick to point out the importance of Nurkic's 12/12 performance.
"He obviously scored in the paint, but I think his screen setting was huge, too. Unselfish. You start doing things for your teammates, you start getting hits and then the ball finds him in the post." Mike Budenholzer on Jusuf Nurkic 12 and 12 effort in Suns win vs. Lakers. #Suns pic.twitter.com/mThq4OdxO4
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 27, 2024
You can look at these comments two ways, and in truth both could be wrong. The first and more calculated of the two is that coach is trying to sell how important Nurkic is to prospective trade partners before the deadline closes. That doesn't sound like coach Bud though, who has had a galvanizing impact on this roster that was sorely lacking under Frank Vogel.
The second is that he's trying to build up Nurkic's confidence by speaking about his positive impact to the media, and there may even be an element of that going on here though. But what coach Budenholzer is actually doing is telling the truth. Nurkic was brought to The Valley to be an unselfish big who would battle other centers and screen and pass offensively.
Jusuf Nurkic: "I've been judged, I feel like, for the most part since I've got here, the most."
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) November 27, 2024
I asked whether it's hard to block out the noise: "That's not real fans, man. You got out there in Phoenix, you see the real fans. The internet, it ain't the real world, man." pic.twitter.com/7MIpXNMMbV
He does all of those things - and while it wasn't one of the key factors in the Suns winning - that would be the return of two of their best players, the fact Davis could still have a big game but Nurkic played 27 minutes in a win is worth bringing up. Who he is as a player isn't going to change at this stage of his career, but there's more to like than fans want to admit.
It's not so long ago the organization had a much more athletic center in Deandre Ayton, who had a ton of upside. We all know how that ended - and how it has gone with the Portland Trail Blazers since then - which is why coach Bud is right to praise Nurkic. He's doing exactly what he's supposed to - and when the Suns are fully healthy - on many nights that is enough.