The Suns have rebuilt their rotation in the last year, and one of the most underrated departures was Jusuf Nurkic. After being shipped out last season, Nurkic has ended up on the Jazz in a nice complementary role to developing players. He's not the only talented center that wasn't able to last on the Suns, but his excellence this season could be causing some second thoughts.
Nurkic has been one of the NBA's most underrated centers
Jusuf Nurkic's best attribute this season has been his screening. He leads the entire league in screen assists. It's been a major factor in the emergence of 22-year-old guard Keyonte George, who has gone from 16 points per game last season to 24 this season.
Behind Nurkic's solid screening, George has established himself as a candidate for Most Improved Player. Keeping Nurkic on the Suns may have given the same advantage to the Suns' own young and improving guards. Funnily enough, Nurkic also displayed this skill in abundance on the Suns when he freed up Devin Booker and other perimeter players.
Nurkic is an incredibly selfless screener willing to set multiple picks in one possession to get teammates open. He's incredibly difficult to get around and uses his 6'11"/290lbs frame effectively. It's not just on-ball creators who can benefit from his screens, but also shooters flying around the perimeter.
For a Suns team that has thrived on defense but sometimes lacked offensive firepower this season, Nurkic could've played a beneficial role. The Suns are happy with their current center rotation led by Mark Williams, who has been a pleasant surprise. But Nurkic could still help the Suns with spot minutes and offering mentorship on better screen-setting technique.
Although Nurkic is not seeing a lot of overall team success with the Jazz, they are actually decent on offense. In fact, Utah ranks higher than Phoenix on team metrics like offensive rating and effective field goal percentage. Despite lacking a ton of talent, they've found ways to score with selfless play from guys like Nurkic.
Nurkic's recent history really shows how situations can determine the success of role players. He seemed solid when he first got to Phoenix, but it went downhill as the team's lack of defense and depth led to losses. He also struggled in Charlotte on a tanking team without solid structure. But in Utah, he's found himself in a positon to maximize his talents.
The Suns have had success this season by doing the same with other role players. As a team without draft and financial flexibility, they need to win on the margins to improve their team. Placing players of Nurkic's level in ideal situations will be necessary for the Suns to outperform expectations.