Damian Lillard is definitely Portland’s best player, and obviously their most valuable. But when it comes to making a unique and unmistakable impact on the floor, Jusuf Nurkic is the key.
The big man is a multi-faceted center who can score, pass, and defend, all of which he has shown in full display against the Denver Nuggets in round 1.
So after the Blazer’s 20 point win on Saturday, he shot back at some of the haters, including ESPN analyst, and former NBA big man, Kendrick Perkins.
https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1398775107250577409
What prompted that response by Nurk? A tweet from KP after Game 2, in which he called Jusuf and Enes Kanter the worst defensive bigs in the game.
Mike Malone flat out coached Terry Stotts!!! Nurkic and Kanter are the worse defensive bigs in the NBA! Btw shoutout to Austin Rivers tonight for proving all the haters wrong…I just remember them saying he was in the NBA because of his Pops. Carry the hell on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 28, 2021
Perkins also responded to Nurkic’s clap-back:
Hey big @bosnianbeast27 you still had SIMILAC on your breath when I was putting in work, but keep working Big Fella you’ll get there!!! Carry on… pic.twitter.com/K3Mp1d37FW
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 29, 2021
Obviously, Portland isn’t a very good defensive team. In fact, they’re one of the worst in the NBA, which is why they’re only the 6th seed.
But to call Nurk one of the worst defensive big men in the league might be a stretch considering the team would be far, far worse without him. He makes a notable impact on that end of the floor, and being healthy has definitely made the Blazers much better defensively.
As for where Perkins would be if he was in the NBA today, we’ll leave that to speculation.
Game 5 is on Tuesday, where Denver will be fighting for a 3-2 lead on their home court. If Nurk really wants to silence the haters, he’ll show up and deliver big for his team when it matters most.
