Denver Nuggets

Is Jusuf Nurkic an elite defender already?

Published Sep. 17, 2015 3:43 p.m. ET

foxsports

Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic may not have the reputation of a great rim protector, but that might not last for long.

Nurkic started in 27 games for the Nuggets during his rookie season, and the 21-year-old big man is hoping to build on his impressive performance on both ends of the court.

The Nuggets were a drastically different team when Nurkic was on the floor, as Alex Kennedy of BasketballInsiders.com explains here:

"Defense is a potentially huge issue for the Nuggets. Nurkic is legitimately one of the few guys on the roster who has proven for even a full year that he’s capable of defending at an above-average level in the NBA. The Nuggets went from a borderline top-10 defense in the league when Nurkic played last season to a bottom-five unit when he sat, per NBA.com, and Nurkic actually finished ninth overall for Defensive Real Plus-Minus on ESPN.com.

He’s a positive defending the rim and he’s completely unafraid of challenging anyone in the league. His lateral mobility is reasonable for his size, and he even played bits of four in the right matchups last season. If anything happens with Kenneth Faried in the frontcourt, be it a trade or injury, Nurkic will be a prime candidate to start alongside Gallinari."

(h/t Basketball Insiders)