When the Utah Jazz dealt Walker Kessler away this summer, Jazz fans wondered who would fill his shoes and if the Jazz could still be a playoff team in the aftermath.
And while the Jazz made some moves to that end, they also reaffirmed their faith in Jusuf Nurkic, who filled the position admirably last season and looks likely to do so again this year.
While Nurkic isn't the long-term answer at center, he is showing this summer that he's far from washed up and ready for the challenge.
The FIBA World Cup qualifiers are underway, and Nurkic had a statement game against Italy, going off for 25 points and 14 rebounds. He led Bosnia-Herzegovina to a needed victory to continue in the tournament.
With the Jazz, Nurkic won't need to go off for that many points on a regular basis. But it's nice to see that he still can if called upon. He's still valuable for his scoring and rebounding, and his veteran leadership will be needed with a young Jazz roster in the difficult moments as this Jazz team grows up.
Nurkic is not the same player as Kessler, but he doesn't have to play like him to replace him.
What the Jazz will expect from Jusuf Nurkic this season
Nurkic repeating his 2025-26 season numbers (10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game) is unlikely, especially if Jaren Jackson Jr. sees significant minutes in the center rotation in small- ball lineups for the Jazz.
The Jazz have plenty of scoring on this team, from Jackson to Lauri Markkanen to Keyonte George to Ace Bailey to rookie Darryn Peterson. Not to mention Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, Josh Okogie, and Kyle Filipowski. This means Nurkic will not be the focus of opposing defenses in 2026-27.
This will allow the Jazz to use Nurkic for his strengths - his passing will be integral as a high post distributor and screener who will allow the Jazz guards to get into the paint at will.
His rebounding will still be vital as well - JJJ isn't a dominant guy on the boards, and Lauri Markkanen's high mark with the Jazz is 8.6 boards a night. Expect Nurkic to get double digits in rebounding.
With a well-defined role and finally on a team ready to compete for the playoffs, we should see a healthy, motivated version of Nurkic this season. This will be music to the Jazz and their fans as we find out how good this team can be.
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