5. C Jusuf Nurkic
If you were expecting Nurkic to be higher, I’m not surprised. Many view the Bosnian big man as the future of the Nuggets franchise, even with Mudiay now being added into the mix. But for me, there are enough question marks that I can’t justify putting him any higher than fifth.
First off, he’s injured; that’s the obvious mark against him. And in reality, that means a lot more than just missing the first 10 games of the season. The real issue is that he essentially missed an entire offseason of training, an important part of any young player’s development, especially a player who’s only spent a calendar year in the United States.
Second, I’m no doctor, but I get nervous any time a big man has surgery on his knees, feet or any other part of his legs. I’ve seen too many careers take a turn for the worse after what originally looked like a routine injury.
And given that the Nuggets seem to be taking a much more long-term approach this season and going forward, don’t be surprised if those 10 games stretch towards 15 or 20.
And that brings me to my final point … he’s got competition. Nikola Jokic may be a rookie, but he’s hitting the ground running. The Nuggets, their fans and basketball junkies everywhere may love Nurkic — I know I do — but they may quickly learn to love Jokic, too. And the last time I checked, there aren’t many teams that play two 7-foot-tall Eastern Europeans at the same time.
