Where does Jusuf Nurkic rank among centers?

[JH5]

He has easily been Portland's second best player this season. Like, far and away better than CJ. I terms of replacement, PDX could probably remain in the playoff hunt with CJ injured and Stauskas/Curry taking his minutes. Take Nurkic off this team and we are done. He is just getting settled, only 24 and if his foul get under control can easily be a hyper efficient 20/10/4 type. Kid is really good.

Better than prime Hakeem?

[armin-x]

Nurkic is a good center but to say he's the focal point on that Portland team is ridiculous statement . Lillard and Mccollum are their two best players and everything is revolving around them , they also make Nurkic pretty good because they are all star calibre players. Only focal players that are centers on their teams are Embiid ,Jokic and Davis( if you classify him as one).

Surprise surprise...you are serbian.

[elias808]

To the general viewing public Nurk is probably a top 10 center but in the context of the Blazers he is far more valuable. He is easily the second most important player on the roster.

[SwatLakeCity527]

Even the eye test gives Nurkic a pass with flying colors here, I have watched him just make multiple centers people in this thread have above him look foolish throughout the game.

Nurkic vs. Adams (OKC won this game but when Nurkic had the ball he was making great moves on Adams to score, and usually boxing out Adams with ease.)

Nurkic vs. Gobert (In the last Utah game Gobert was getting very annoyed with Nurkic as again he was able to score on him easily and Gobert would usually foul him and give him the and-1.)

Basically you watch him play his style of play is reminiscent of Shaq, now Shaq was a superior player for sure but I'm surprised Shaq isn't the one hyping this guy up because he is doing more of what Shaq always wanted Howard to do. There is no way in hell that Nurkic is less valuable to the Blazers than CJ period. I think Lillard is still the superior player but Nurkic is very close and if he is still only 24 years old folks, Nurkic could feasibly get better from where he is at now since most guys prime are around 28ish.

He is also pretty much our best defender around the rim, the man has great instincts on where to be to affect a shot and he really turns it on when the game is going down the final stretch. He is a huge reason why the Blazers have yet to lose a single game where they have the lead after 3 quarters.

As I Jazz fan, I feel compelled to point out that in the other 2 matchups this year between Nurkic and Gobert, Gobert outperformed Nurk in every category in the first game, and completely outplayed him in the second game.

In the last game, Nurk did outplay Gobert, though.

Gobert 2. Nurkic 1.

[Capn'O]

This season I have it:
1. Davis
2. Jokic
3. Embiid
4. Towns
5. Gobert
6. Gasol
7. Vucevic
8. Capela
9. Aldridge
10. Turner

I'd take those 10 over Nurkic this year. After that, its; Ayton, Horford, Nurk, Drummond, Sabonis, Adams, Whiteside. He's somewhere in there, I'd say top 15.

Who ever said the Center position was dead?

Actually, it's PF that is in flux now.

[Scalabrine]

This season I have it:
1. Davis
2. Jokic
3. Embiid
4. Towns
5. Gobert
6. Gasol
7. Vucevic
8. Capela
9. Aldridge
10. Turner

I'd take those 10 over Nurkic this year. After that, its; Ayton, Horford, Nurk, Drummond, Sabonis, Adams, Whiteside. He's somewhere in there, I'd say top 15.

Who ever said the Center position was dead?

Actually, it's PF that is in flux now.

Oh the Center is back!

You could put Aldridge, Davis and KAT at the 4, but as far as other its probably the weakest position in the game right now. There difference between a SF and a PF is very blurry right now. Are LeBron, KD, Giannis, Harris, Porter, Gallo, Covington, Tatum counting as 4's?

[Sgt Major]

He is a huge reason why the Blazers have yet to lose a single game where they have the lead after 3 quarters.

It's amazing that they haven't won a single game where they were trailing after three quarters. All their games could've ended after the third quarter and nothing would've changed.

[monopoman]

He is a huge reason why the Blazers have yet to lose a single game where they have the lead after 3 quarters.

It's amazing that they haven't won a single game where they were trailing after three quarters. All their games could've ended after the third quarter and nothing would've changed.

Blazers working on making history in two things this year, I have a strong suspicion no team in NBA history has had that carry over for every game in an 82 game season. Still a long way to go to get there obviously, but they are 48 games in so far upholding this thing.

[Dame Lizard]

Nurkic is a good center but to say he's the focal point on that Portland team is ridiculous statement . Lillard and Mccollum are their two best players and everything is revolving around them , they also make Nurkic pretty good because they are all star calibre players. Only focal players that are centers on their teams are Embiid ,Jokic and Davis( if you classify him as one).

As a Portland fan, Nurkic is way more valuable to us than CJ. I'd comfortably argue the margin is quite significant.

[Unbiased hater]

- vs OKC
Nurkić: 22; 11.5; 58.1% FG
Adams: 10;10; 52.6% FG
- vs HOU
Nurkić: 20.7; 11.7; 56.8% FG
Capela: 13.3; 14; 56.7% FG
- vs MIN
Nurkić: 18; 11.3; 69% FG
Towns: 18.7; 8; 43.2% FG

[Mickey8]

That means nothing, he won few duels , he's not constantly good and solid as some other centers. Put him as the center piece of your team , go to guy and that team is going nowhere.

[J-Wolves]

This season I have it:
1. Davis
2. Jokic
3. Embiid
4. Towns
5. Gobert
6. Gasol
7. Vucevic
8. Capela
9. Aldridge
10. Turner

I'd take those 10 over Nurkic this year. After that, its; Ayton, Horford, Nurk, Drummond, Sabonis, Adams, Whiteside. He's somewhere in there, I'd say top 15.

Who ever said the Center position was dead?

Actually, it's PF that is in flux now.

Yeah thats what I have been saying for ages. The Center position is super important where as the PF spot has basically been replaced with another SF. If you have a good defensive center you dont need a traditional PF.
Although another option is to have no center and 2 good PF's who can defend and shoot 3's.
Both can work just depends on personnel.

The top 5 centers is quite clear cut for me
1. A.Davis
2. J Embiid
3. N Jokic
4. R.Gobert
5. K.Towns

[J-Wolves]

Nurkic is a good center but to say he's the focal point on that Portland team is ridiculous statement . Lillard and Mccollum are their two best players and everything is revolving around them , they also make Nurkic pretty good because they are all star calibre players. Only focal players that are centers on their teams are Embiid ,Jokic and Davis( if you classify him as one).

As a Portland fan, Nurkic is way more valuable to us than CJ. I'd comfortably argue the margin is quite significant.

Too true McCollum is the better player but Nurkic is more important to the team. Too much overlap between Lillard & McCollum to be effective. McCollum would be much better on another team if he gets traded. Blazers need bring in a quality wing.

[King-]

That means nothing, he won few duels , he's not constantly good and solid as some other centers. Put him as the center piece of your team , go to guy and that team is going nowhere.

The advanced stats say otherwise, though. What's more telling, legitimate statistics, or Mickey8s opinion on RealGM? Halfway through the season there aren't more than ~6 centers better/more impactful than him so far this season, by all metrics

You can't be where he's at in the advances stats by "not being constantly good." He's been consistently good the entire season, and even with a not-so-good offensive night, his defensive impact is as good as almost any player in the league, yet alone centers

[_dreamer_]

1. Embiid
2. Jokic
3. Gobert
4. Towns
5. Gasol
6. Capela
7. Vucevic
8. Sabonis
9. Adams
10. Turner
11. Valanciunas
12. Drummond
13. Nurkic
14. Whiteside
15. Ayton

Didn't include Davis, Ibaka, Horford as it is questionable if they are true centers. Davis would go number 1, Ibaka in the top 10, Horford in the top 15.
Players putting up stats on bad teams is not impressive. Impacting games for winning teams should be more valued.

I love digging out some old posts. I guess you have changed your opinion in the meantime... At least you put Nurk above Whiteside.

Funny thing is that right now he is as good as he was when this ranking was made. He simply did not get enough attention.

[eyeatoma]

This season I have it:
1. Davis
2. Jokic
3. Embiid
4. Towns
5. Gobert
6. Gasol
7. Vucevic
8. Capela
9. Aldridge
10. Turner

I'd take those 10 over Nurkic this year. After that, its; Ayton, Horford, Nurk, Drummond, Sabonis, Adams, Whiteside. He's somewhere in there, I'd say top 15.

Hahhahahahw

Embiid is number 1 and Jokic 2. Davis is a PF.

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[eyeatoma]

i believe consensus top 3 are anthony davis, joel embiid and nikola jokic and those spots are locked for years, but the same does not apply for demarcus cousins (cause of an injury) and karl-anthony towns (has a lot to prove, after all hes the 1st option on his team, so he gets a lot of touches and its natural that his numbers are good)... its right there where i see a chance for guys like jusuf nurkic and deandre ayton to crack the top 5 in the coming years!

tier I centers:

1. anthony davis
(if we consider him c, dominant on both ends of the floor)

2. joel embiid
(same goes as for ad, just less dominant)

3. nikola jokic
(elite offensive player, defense will always be an issue)

4. demarcus cousins
(pre injury - great offensive player, better version of kat)

5. karl-anthony towns
(great offensive player, defense will always be an issue)

tier II centers:

6. rudy gobert
(cause hes elite defensive center, but i dont like the fact he has no offensive skill set)

7. marc gasol
(old guy still has it, but the new guys are coming... anyway, hes full package)

8. jusuf nurkic
(nurk has bigger skill set than anyone not named marc gasol from this tier and hes developing into two-way force)

9. steven adams
(good defensive player, solid skill set on the offensive end)

10. clint capela
(good defensive player, but same as gobert, no skill set whatsoever)

11. al horford
(great defensive player, does business on the offensive end too)

12. andre drummond
(very similar player to adams and capela)

tier III centers:

13. nikola vucevic
(great offensive player, defense will always be an issue... lack of good players on that team benefits him greatly)

14. jonas valanciunas
(i feel like hes underused at toronto, could be a top 10 center if he played somewhere else)

15. myles turner
(good defensive player, has some skill set on the offensive end too, hell move up with time)

there could be a couple more players in the tier III, but i ranked just top 15 centers!

Embiid is more dominant than AD offensively and defensively.

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[UcanUwill]

i believe consensus top 3 are anthony davis, joel embiid and nikola jokic and those spots are locked for years, but the same does not apply for demarcus cousins (cause of an injury) and karl-anthony towns (has a lot to prove, after all hes the 1st option on his team, so he gets a lot of touches and its natural that his numbers are good)... its right there where i see a chance for guys like jusuf nurkic and deandre ayton to crack the top 5 in the coming years!

tier I centers:

1. anthony davis
(if we consider him c, dominant on both ends of the floor)

2. joel embiid
(same goes as for ad, just less dominant)

3. nikola jokic
(elite offensive player, defense will always be an issue)

4. demarcus cousins
(pre injury - great offensive player, better version of kat)

5. karl-anthony towns
(great offensive player, defense will always be an issue)

tier II centers:

6. rudy gobert
(cause hes elite defensive center, but i dont like the fact he has no offensive skill set)

7. marc gasol
(old guy still has it, but the new guys are coming... anyway, hes full package)

8. jusuf nurkic
(nurk has bigger skill set than anyone not named marc gasol from this tier and hes developing into two-way force)

9. steven adams
(good defensive player, solid skill set on the offensive end)

10. clint capela
(good defensive player, but same as gobert, no skill set whatsoever)

11. al horford
(great defensive player, does business on the offensive end too)

12. andre drummond
(very similar player to adams and capela)

tier III centers:

13. nikola vucevic
(great offensive player, defense will always be an issue... lack of good players on that team benefits him greatly)

14. jonas valanciunas
(i feel like hes underused at toronto, could be a top 10 center if he played somewhere else)

15. myles turner
(good defensive player, has some skill set on the offensive end too, hell move up with time)

there could be a couple more players in the tier III, but i ranked just top 15 centers!

Embiid is more dominant than AD offensively and defensively.

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[eyeatoma]

i believe consensus top 3 are anthony davis, joel embiid and nikola jokic and those spots are locked for years, but the same does not apply for demarcus cousins (cause of an injury) and karl-anthony towns (has a lot to prove, after all hes the 1st option on his team, so he gets a lot of touches and its natural that his numbers are good)... its right there where i see a chance for guys like jusuf nurkic and deandre ayton to crack the top 5 in the coming years!

tier I centers:

1. anthony davis
(if we consider him c, dominant on both ends of the floor)

2. joel embiid
(same goes as for ad, just less dominant)

3. nikola jokic
(elite offensive player, defense will always be an issue)

4. demarcus cousins
(pre injury - great offensive player, better version of kat)

5. karl-anthony towns
(great offensive player, defense will always be an issue)

tier II centers:

6. rudy gobert
(cause hes elite defensive center, but i dont like the fact he has no offensive skill set)

7. marc gasol
(old guy still has it, but the new guys are coming... anyway, hes full package)

8. jusuf nurkic
(nurk has bigger skill set than anyone not named marc gasol from this tier and hes developing into two-way force)

9. steven adams
(good defensive player, solid skill set on the offensive end)

10. clint capela
(good defensive player, but same as gobert, no skill set whatsoever)

11. al horford
(great defensive player, does business on the offensive end too)

12. andre drummond
(very similar player to adams and capela)

tier III centers:

13. nikola vucevic
(great offensive player, defense will always be an issue... lack of good players on that team benefits him greatly)

14. jonas valanciunas
(i feel like hes underused at toronto, could be a top 10 center if he played somewhere else)

15. myles turner
(good defensive player, has some skill set on the offensive end too, hell move up with time)

there could be a couple more players in the tier III, but i ranked just top 15 centers!

Embiid is more dominant than AD offensively and defensively.

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Look at his plus minus numbers. Look at his numbers last year and numbers since the restart. Look at his head to head with AD when Embiid matches up with him. AD owns him every time they play against each other.

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[Scalabrine]

This season I have it:
1. Davis
2. Jokic
3. Embiid
4. Towns
5. Gobert
6. Gasol
7. Vucevic
8. Capela
9. Aldridge
10. Turner

I'd take those 10 over Nurkic this year. After that, its; Ayton, Horford, Nurk, Drummond, Sabonis, Adams, Whiteside. He's somewhere in there, I'd say top 15.

Hahhahahahw

Embiid is number 1 and Jokic 2. Davis is a PF.

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Why did you quote me here???? I didn't say that.

*but I'd take Jokic over Embiid if it were me...