Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic is having a mixed season this year. While the Suns look on course to be contenders if the team’s health stays good (9-1 with Kevin Durant this season), to realistically challenge for a title, everyone on the roster needs to be performing at a high level. Suns fans don’t think Nurkic has been doing that, with the Bosnian center a common target of online hate from Suns fans.
Nurkic has dismissed the fan concerns around him but made a bizarre claim that fans expect him to perform like Kevin Durant in an interview with Duane Rankin.
“I feel like I have been judged the most since I got here. It feels like everybody wants me to play the Kevin Durant role with just two shots. That’s not how it works. Anyway, I’m just trying to play through the injuries and everything for this team, so I know who appreciates it. I don’t need to go out there and prove anything. I know what I bring to the table and just play as much team ball as I can.”
“They’re not real fans. You go out there in Phoenix, you’ll see the real fans. The internet isn’t the real world. People will hate regardless. If it ended up like the first half, they’d be on my ass trying to kill me… It’s fun. As long as it’s not personal, it’s fun.”
Jusuf Nurkic says some Suns fans have “judged” him since he came to Phoenix:
“I've been judged since I got here the most… everyone wants me to play the KD role."
(via @duanerankin) pic.twitter.com/34GMdf9RJv
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 28, 2024
Jusuf Nurkic is averaging 8.9 points and 9.9 rebounds on 42.0% from the field as a center this season. These numbers aren’t impressive, especially with his inefficient scoring efforts. Fans aren’t upset that Nurkic isn’t playing with Durant-level efficiency, but fans can see that Nurkic isn’t performing even up to the standard he set last season.
He’s also averaging 2.3 turnovers per game, fifth amongst centers in the league this season. The centers ahead of him have more prominent on-ball roles like Nikola Jokic (3.6 TOPG) and Domantas Sabonis (3.6 TOPG), while Myles Turner (2.6 TOPG) and Jakob Poeltl (2.3 TOPG) are featured parts of their teams’ offense compared to Nurkic who is a fourth or fifth option on the Suns.
Nurkic was averaging 10.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists last season, so his numbers have fallen across the board so far this year. He’s a veteran center with good instincts and a passing touch, but the Suns have had to limit his passing actions this season due to his extremely turnover-prone start to the season.
The fan hate against Nurkic on social media is excessive, there’s no doubting that. While the internet is hyperbolic in nature, many fans on sites like X have made some aggressive comments about the center. It’s easy to talk like that on the internet and it’s clear that Nurkic doesn’t appreciate these faceless accounts slandering him and even threatening him.
The comparison to Durant is unfair, as fans aren’t expecting Nurkic to perform at that level. It’s just about minimizing unforced errors and better decision-making that everyone knows Nurkic as a 10-year veteran is capable of. It’s a shaky start to the season, but Nurkic has plenty of opportunities to turn it around.
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