Blazers House Party: Uncle Nurkic, Memories of Jake Layman’s Rookie Debut

As you can probably tell by the byline, Team Mom is on a much-deserved vacation. In her place, contributors Lindsay Hostetler and Steve Dewald have taken over the post with their favorite Trail Blazers stories from the week. Here are their House Party favorites. What were your favorite things that happened this week? Let us know in the comments below.

Week 13, 19-27. Golden State Warriors (W), Dallas Mavericks (L).

Our Favorite: Uncle Nurk

There’s no denying that Damian Lillard’s son, Dame Jr., is adorable. But what makes him cuter than cute is his relationship with Jusuf Nurkic. In a recent piece by Jason Quick of the Athletic, Lillard revealed that his son does not like to be held, but Dame Jr. has a clear soft spot for his Uncle Nurk. “Fat Man,” as Dame Jr. is known, gives Uncle Nurk all the love he needs, on and off the court, as shown below.

The story of Uncle Nurk preceded what was perhaps the best news of all this week: Jusuf Nurkic practiced at full speed with contact. Appropriately, it was “Babo” who reported the news.

To us, nothing illustrates the bond Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic have more than the love they clearly both share for Fat Man.

The Layman Legend

Zion Williamson’s anticipated debut delivered a bit of history tied directly to former Trail Blazers forward Jake Layman. The former Duke star, who is working through a minutes restriction, notched 17 of his 22 points in a single quarter. That type of single-quarter eruption in a NBA debut matched Layman’s memorable flurry from November of 2016.

Twitter went a little overboard with this fun fact, but it was an enjoyable look back for Blazers fans. Layman, who is now with the Timberwolves, provided a few out-of-nowhere outbursts during his tenure in Portland.

Here is look back at Layman’s big debut:

All-Star Jerseys Revealed

The NBA unleashed its All-Star jerseys upon an unsuspecting public this week.

According to Nike, the colors represent the eight transit lines that run through the city of Chicago, while the star comes from the city’s flag. The reaction was, um, shall we say...mixed.

Steve: Two of my favorite jerseys of the last 30 years have come from the Bulls organization, which makes these eyesores even less palatable. First, the black with red pinstripes in the 90s were gorgeous. More recently, the Bulls’ city-inspired jerseys were up their with the Heat’s Miami-Vice-inspired uniforms.

Lindsay: Let’s be real. They’re just boring! Considering all of the great City jerseys Nike has put out this season, it really feels like the designer just phoned it in. Compared to past All-Star jerseys, even those in recent memory, these jerseys are bland and uninspiring. Yawn.

That will do it for the House Party! What did you like about this week? What plays or player make you excited for the future? Let us know in the comments below.