3 reasons Jusuf Nurkic will be exposed in the postseason

The Phoenix Suns still have a chance to make it to the 2024 NBA Playoffs despite their recent trend of losses. The Suns are seventh in the Western Conference, an improvement, as they were eighth a few days ago.

Still, they're in the Play-In zone, which isn't ideal for any team to contend for the Larry O'Brien trophy. There are more games on top of the 82-game season. Having more games would be physically grueling, especially for the stars.

On top of that, they have one of the most challenging schedules as the season concludes. Their final nine games are all playoff teams who either aim to clinch a higher spot in the standings or aspire to escape the Play-In zone.

Their final games won't be easy and could be daunting for the group to be on the same page.

They recently won against the defending champions, Denver Nuggets. Phoenix failed to capture a win against the San Antonio Spurs, without Victor Wembanyama. They had a wake-up call in their loss against the Spurs, which drove them to win against the Nuggets. 

Aside from the stars, many are looking up to the role players to make the team's postseason wishes come true. The Suns have quite an interesting group of role players who have helped the stars throughout the year. One of those players is Jusuf Nurkic, who's been phenomenal, especially on the boards. 

Nurkic has appeared in 68 games, averaging 11.3 points and 11 rebounds. His contributions have positively impacted the team's campaign, making him one of the most valuable players for the Suns, that is, outside of their Big 3.

However, even with his decent production on the floor, there are a few things that could be problematic for the team during the playoffs. These problems won't necessarily be the cause of a potential downfall for the Suns, but they could expose him against opposing teams.

Let's look at some things that could help their potential opponents expose the Bosnian center.

He's a terrible defender

The Phoenix Suns improved their center position by trading Deandre Ayton for Nurkic. However, the team's interior defense did not improve with the change. Nurkic, a European center, is not known for his defensive skills. Even during his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers, it was widely known that he was not a defensive threat.

Nurkic is allowing opponents to score 28.3 points in the paint, which is not the worst for the team. However, as a center, the team expects more from him on the defensive end.

Additionally, he is slow-footed and often gets beaten by perimeter players off the dribble. It's worth noting that slow-footedness is a common weakness for big men, making it challenging for them to defend outside the paint.

Unfortunately, Nurkic is not a strong defender in almost all areas. Therefore, opposing teams may target him during the playoffs.

Reckless from beyond the three

The use of the three-pointer has become more common in the league these days, but it can also be a team's downfall. In the 2018 playoffs, the Houston Rockets heavily relied on the three-ball and ended up missing 27 threes, which proved to be detrimental to their performance. While this example may be a bit extreme, Nurkic has been unapologetic about taking shots from beyond the arc. 

As the starting center, Nurkic attempts more than one three-pointer per game, which isn't a lot. However, whenever he has an open shot, he takes it without hesitation.

This is a sign of good basketball IQ. However, it can be a risky move if the shooter doesn't have the skills to back it up. Unfortunately, in Nurkic's case, he only has a 24 percent success rate from beyond the arc, which is not great. 

The team won't require Nurkic to take shots from deep since they already have three elite options: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. If there's a need for him to score, he can rely on his post skills as he's strong and smart enough to draw mismatches.

His strongest characteristics

Despite all these problems where teams could exploit Nurkic, there are some positives in his game The former 16th pick is an intelligent passer, which makes the Suns look like they have a poor man's Nikola Jokic. He knows how to time his passes well and who to pass it to.

Nurkic is also an excellent rebounder and is always ready to bang bodies underneath the basket. He holds the record this season for having the most rebounds in a single game with 31. The veteran center knows how to use the physical gifts he has over his opponents.