Can the Phoenix Suns win a title with Jusuf Nurkic as their starting center?

Sometimes a yes or no question isn’t as easy as it sounds on the surface. Context matters.

In the case of Jusuf Nurkic as a starting center for a team with playoff aspirations, what does your gut tell you? Can a team win a title with him anchoring the middle?

My answer leans towards no, but that is predicated mostly on the roster construct around him. The lack of size, rim protection, and athleticism are still issues that the Suns will face time and time again.

The Phoenix Suns have addressed several needs this offseason by adding depth, point guards, youth, and even some athleticism. I don’t want this to come across as doom and gloom, because they have had a strong offseason — but there are still question marks.

The looming questions revolve around two key components of their roster. The lack of forward depth and the center rotation in a playoff environment. You can even toss in point-of-attack defense in there, so let’s call it three.

They added a capable backup center in Mason Plumlee and drafted a rookie center in Oso Ighodaro with the 40th pick. Is that trio going to be enough?

The Bad

Nurkic has a record of 3-17 in the Playoffs, giving him the worst playoff win percentage of all time. (min. 20 games)

Let’s be clear on one thing: Nurkic was not the reason the Suns got swept. There were a myriad of issues, but he should be partially on the hook for it, along with several other Suns who did not show up.

Jusuf Nurkic’s playoff numbers are bad. He is not solely responsible for the poor team record, that is entirely circumstantial. In a series against a bigger team he should have been effective in, he was outplayed and lost all too often. 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds, all while being cooked by Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

His poor finishing around the rim is also something that has been on my mind. That has to improve with the looks that Booker, Durant, Jones, and Morris will provide him with.

Teams will likely continue to invite him to take shots and back off to prevent him from quarterbacking at the top of the key. How can Phoenix’s offense adjust if he isn’t at least an okay shooter from deep? He has to keep the defense honest.

The question remains if his style of play is fit for the playoffs, and until he proves it otherwise, I cannot get there.

The Good

We should not ignore that Nurkic had a strong regular season. He was as solid as it gets in his role and had some stretches that were critical in keeping the Suns afloat during their carousel of injuries. He appeared in 76 games a season ago, which is the second-most in his 10-year NBA career. That alone was a welcome sight.

Nurkic finished the season averaging 10.9 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.1 BPG, and 1.1 SPG in 27.3 minutes per game on a 51/24/64 shooting split.

He had a couple of monster stretches with massive stat lines thrown up, including a franchise-best 31-rebound game against the Thunder. Make no mistake, he is an excellent rebound, finishing 9th in the association in rebounds per game.

The playmaking should not be taken for granted from someone his size, either. That and the rebounding give him instant value from the center position.

Can Coach Bud revolutionize another center late into their career akin to a Brook Lopez in Milwaukee? Probably not to that extent, but offensively if he becomes a reliable stretch five they can count on that would change the outlook of the offense.

I am not one for buying into summer workout videos, but I will attach this for the sake of connecting some dots. The vision is there for Nurk — let’s hope he executes when it matters. If he can get to at least 35% from deep that would be a win for Phoenix.

I’ll end with this counterpoint.

If the big three plays like the stars they are and the role players knock down open shots, it might not matter who their starting center is as long as he does his job. And that’s the world where Jusuf Nurkic plays a pivotal role. His job is to (along with the newly acquired point guards) put the stars in position to succeed. Something he is entirely capable of.

What is your first reaction/answer to this question? Can the Suns win a title with Jusuf Nurkic as their starting center? Let us know below.