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Jusuf Nurkic’s fractured wrist injury will require surgery. The Portland Trail Blazers center is expected to miss eight weeks of action. Shams Charania of The Athletic tweeted the news.
Portland center Jusuf Nurkic will undergo surgery on his fractured right wrist and miss at least eight weeks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 15, 2021
Nurkic broke his wrist in the third quarter of Portland’s game with the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.
An eight-week timetable will keep the center out of action through the remainder of the Blazers’ first-half schedule. At this point, Portland has 25 games remaining on the slate. The list extends through March 4th, weeks before Nurkic is expected to return. The remaining 36 games of the regular season have yet to be determined. Until they are scheduled, there’s no way know know how many Nurkic might miss.
The 6’11 center has appeared 12 times for the Blazers this year, averaging 9.8 points and 7.7 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game, his lowest production since his sophomore season in the NBA. He played only 8 games the season prior, recovering from a fractured leg.
Looking for ideas about how the Blazers might cope during Nurkic’s absence? Dave Deckard and Dan Marang have you covered!