Nurkic (nose) is projected as Utah's top starting center for the 2026-27 season after the Jazz lost Walker Kessler to the Lakers this offseason, Jared Koch of SI.com reports.
Nurkic was highly productive when available for the Jazz, averaging 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.4 minutes per game across 41 regular-season games (36 starts) last year. The veteran big man will have a new partner in the frontcourt with Jaren Jackson now in the fold, so it'll be interesting to see how the two big men mesh in 2026-27. Nurkic should be ready for the start of training camp after undergoing season-ending nose surgery in February.
Nurkic (nose) intends to sign a two-year, $22 million contract to return to the Jazz, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Nurkic was a full-time starter for the Jazz since November of the 2025-26 campaign due to the absence of Walker Kessler (shoulder). The former averaged 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals over 26.4 minutes per game across 41 regular-season games (36 starts) last year, but Nurkic missed the last two months of the season after undergoing surgery on his nose in mid-February. He should be 100 percent for the start of training camp and will likely serve as the Jazz's backup big man behind Kessler for the 2026-27 season.
Jazz's Jusuf Nurkic: Undergoing season-ending surgery
Rotowire
Nurkic is scheduled to undergo season-ending nose surgery Wednesday, Chris Haynes of NBA TV reports.
Nurkic came back from the All-Star break with a nose injury, and he's opting for a procedure to repair the issue. The 31-year-old big man is set to be an unrestricted free agent ahead of 2026-27, and he should receive plenty of interest on the open market this summer after averaging 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.4 minutes per contest through 41 games this season. With Nurkic's campaign over, the runway is clear at center for Kyle Filipowski to handle a starting role the rest of the way.
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Jazz's Jusuf Nurkic: Won't play Monday
Rotowire
Nurkic (nose) has been ruled out for Monday's game in Houston.
Monday will mark Nurkic's third consecutive game on the inactive list, and for now, he should be considered questionable for Thursday's game against the Pelicans. Kyle Filipowski will continue to get the bulk of the five-man minutes with Nurkic sidelined.
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Jazz's Jusuf Nurkic: Sitting out Friday
Rotowire
Nurkic is out for Friday's game against Memphis due to nose injury management.
Nurkic went unused during last Thursday's loss to Portland, and fantasy managers should expect his availability to remain sporadic throughout the course of the stretch run. Kyle Filipowski should handle the bulk of the center minutes Friday, with Kevin Love filling in the No. 2 center spot behind him.
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Jazz's Jusuf Nurkic: Won't start Thursday
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Nurkic isn't in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Trail Blazers.
Nurkic will be available for Thursday's matchup, but the fact that he's not listed in the starting lineup is likely a sign that he won't see much if any playing time. Instead, it'll be up to Kyle Filipowski and Kevin Love to eat up minutes at center.
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Jazz's Jusuf Nurkic: Productive ways continue
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Nurkic finished with eight points (4-6 FG, 0-1 3Pt), nine rebounds, four assists and one steal in 26 minutes during Wednesday's 121-93 victory over Sacramento.
Utah's intentions when it comes to how much Nurkic will play down the stretch remain unclear, but what's certain is that the veteran center is producing at a high level when available. Nurkic has averaged 14.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 three-pointers in 29.4 minutes per contest in his last 16 games, shooting 47.2 percent from long range during this period.
Nurkic contributed three points (1-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 14 rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal in 24 minutes during Saturday's 120-117 loss to the Magic.
Nurkic returned from a two-game absence due to illness/rest, moving straight into the starting lineup alongside the newly acquired Jaren Jackson. Utah opted to run with a sizeable lineup, an encouraging sign for anyone rostering Nurkic. With that said, we have already started to see some questionable absences, a situation that could get worse as the season progresses. For now, managers will have to hold Nurkic or try to pass him off while he is still relatively active.
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Jazz's Jusuf Nurkic: Starting Saturday
Rotowire
Nurkic is part of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Magic, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Nurkic, surprisingly, will be part of a jumbo lineup that includes Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson. Nurkic had been a DNP-CD in back-to-back games, and the expectation was that Utah would opt for Nurkic to come off the bench while Jackson manned the center spot. However, it looks like Nurkic could remain in a significant role even with Jackson on the roster. In 38 regular-season appearances thus far, Nurkic is averaging 11.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists across 26.6 minutes.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy said that Nurkic won't start Thursday's game against the Hawks, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Though Nurkic will technically be available Thursday, his presence on the bench likely indicates that the Jazz plan to stay away from using him. The Jazz took that approach in their most recent game Tuesday against the Pacers; Nurkic was initially ruled out in advance of the game for rest purposes, then was upgraded to available before he ultimately went unused off the bench. Kyle Filipowski started at center in that game and played 36 minutes, and he'll likely be in line for another hefty workload Thursday while the Jazz are short on available bodies in the aftermath of the trade deadline.
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