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Jusuf Nurkic
Ht/Wt: 6'11" / 280 lbs
Position: C
Team: Bosnia
Class: International



2014 Draft Profile - Jusuf Nurkic

Strengths:
Nurkic is an extremely talented big man with excellent footwork, soft hands, and a great touch around the basket. He has shown the ability to finish with either hand and has some good moves in the post already at the young age of 19.

He has a very solid frame, capable of banging down low with any player and almost enjoys the contact in the post which leads to him drawing his fair share of fouls and he converts his free throws at a 70 percent clip.

He is an excellent rebounder who knows how to use his body and defensively he has very quick hands and good lateral movement which allows him to get more steals than you would expect from a guy of his size.

Despite being so young, he has excellent instincts and a good feel for the game. His team runs a number of possessions through him from the block and is able to pass the ball fairly well. His combination of size, strength, and instincts makes his potential through the roof.

Weaknesses:
His stats in the Adriatic League will come off as very average, mainly because he plays only 15 minutes a game due to his lack of conditioning and foul issues. He still struggles with some fundamentals, especially on defense, which leads to foul trouble pretty regularly.

Athletically he is also below average, relying on his strength to be effective so he could struggle against some of the long, athletic types of centers such as DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond.

There are also some questions about his attitude and temper. He has continually got into arguments with officials and is always in their ear. Some have also questioned his maturity level off the court, which can completely cancel out the skills on it.

He is very naturally talented, but still needs a lot of work on the finer points of his game. If he can get those things done, he can easily become the next good overseas center like Nikola Pekovic, Jonas Valanciunas, or Nikola Vucevic.

PPG: 11.7 RPG: 5.7 APG: 0.7 SPG: 1.1 BPG: 0.8 FG%: 54.5 FT%: 70.1 3PT%: 14.3

Player profile submitted by: Corey Hansford - May 20th

Jusuf Nurkic comes from the land of blood and honey, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Born in the small town of Živinice. Nurkic comes from a huge soccer family and has a soccer background but his true passion has always been basketball he currently plays for the Croatian Club Cedevita. Nurkic is a true big man at 6’11" and 280 lbs. He immediately draws a comparison to Pacers center Roy Hibbert. Nurkic has phenomenal size and strength, but his size may hurt him at the NBA level as todays game relies more on fast-paced and quick plays. Nurkic currently has trouble moving laterally and getting off the floor this being his biggest weakness.

Of course Nurkic has tremendous upside to him. He loves to play with his back to the basket and loves to play low and in the paint a quality that many shy away from but its something Nurkic thrives on. Nurkic also has soft hands around the basket and really knows how to score. He has a ambidextrous hook and can score from either side of the rim. He is also phenomenal at the pick and roll and his coaches are surprised how good of a quick learner he is. Possibly the biggest attribute Nurkic brings to the table is his defense and how he improves game-by-game.

The biggest thing about Nurkic is that he is only 19 (he turns 20 in August). His game is very raw but he has a lot of time to develop it and since he is a quick learner teams won’t have to invest the time it normally takes for international players to form their game to NBA status. If Nurkic can answer the call and turn his greatest weakness into his greatest strength, he will be a valuable asset to any team. That being the case, I can see Nurkic going anywhere from 11-30 in the draft.

Comparison: Roy Hibbert
Player profile submitted by: Adis Elijazovic


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Jusuf Nurkic Videos

Jusuf Nurkic 2013 International Scouting Report


Jusuf Nurkic Scouting Video


Jusuf Nurkic - ABA League Highlights Mix - 2013/14





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