There's no question that finding out whether Jusuf Nurkić is really as good as he showed in his first 20 games as a Trail Blazer is the main question of the minds of fans in Rip City going into training camp, which starts Monday with Media Day at the Moda Center. While the 7-0 center out of Bosnia and Herzegovina might not be better than Damian Lillard and/or CJ McCollum, one could argue that no player is more important to Portland's chances of acceding to the upper echelon of the Western Conference than Nurkić. Given that, it only makes sense that curiosity about "the Bosnian Beast" going into training camp is at an all-time high in Portland.
But "Nurk Fever" is hardly confined to those residing in the northwest. After Nurkić transformed from a forgotten man in Denver to an unstoppable force (albeit for 20 games) in Portland, observers around the NBA are also interested in whether the 23 year-old can sustain the the high level of play he showed during the Trail Blazers' run to the post-season. One such observer is ESPN's Zach Lowe, who lists Nurkić as one of the most intriguing players going into the 2017-18 season...
There's plenty more from Lowe, including detailed breakdowns of the ways Nurkić changed the Trail Blazers on both sides of the ball after joining the starting lineup.