It’s hard to find an NBA player – let alone a rookie – who had a better week than Jusuf Nurkic.
Last Saturday, the center from Bosnia and his Denver Nuggets teammates were lying in wait for the Memphis Grizzlies, who were coming off a tougher-than-expected road win over the Los Angeles Lakers the previous night and had to make one of the league’s tougher overnight trips. LA to Denver may not seem like much, but it is a long flight across a time zone into altitude.
The Grizzlies were gassed and the rested Nuggets took full advantage, handing them by far their worst loss of the season, 114-85. Nurkic had one of his better games, coming off the bench for 11 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, including a handful on MVP candidate Marc Gasol.
Nurkic either forgot his place or didn’t give a rat’s rear end, because after a couple of the blocks he clowned Gasol, who has been the best all-around center in the league this season. After one block, the rookie smirked at the veteran as if to say, “That’s all you got?”
There was another incident as well, which ended with Gasol going after Nurkic and the two jawing at each other while being separated. You can pick it up at about the 55-second mark of the video below.
Afterward, Gasol – who did manage 18 points and three blocks of his own – refused to stoke the fire and admitted, “He’s going to be a real good player.”
Then on Wednesday, Denver traded starting center Timofey Mozgov to Cleveland for a pair of protected first-round picks. It was a good trade for the Nuggets, and part of the reason they made the deal was the confidence they have in Nurkic, who all of a sudden is now a starting center.
The 6-10, 280-pound Nurkic was the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft. He was taken by Chicago and packaged with No. 19 pick Gary Harris to Denver for No. 11 pick Doug McDermott. McDermott has spent most of his rookie season sidelined by an injury, and Harris hasn’t even been the best rookie named Harris. (That would be Joe, on Cleveland.) But Nurkic has emerged as one of the better rookies.
Nurkic began the season as the third-string center behind Mozgov and the flighty JaVale McGee and played just 77 minutes in the team’s first 22 games while accumulating while accumulating 22 DNP-CDs. But when McGee went down with 
complications from the broken leg he suffered last season, Nurkic moved into the backup role.
In his last 14 games, Nurkic is averaging 8.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.64 blocks and 1.14 steals in 17.8 minutes. Even more impressive is his overall PER of 18.68.
McGee could return next week. But given his condition and his propensity for dumb fouls, Nurkic is likely to remain the starter for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, Gasol made an appearance at the NBA TV studios in Atlanta on Tuesday night and was asked by Ernie Johnson what had gone on between him and Nurkic. The All-Star explained that is was just competition and something he expects on occasion from players from Serbia, before adding this little reminder.
“We play them again January 29th,” he said.
On to the rankings.
1. ANDREW WIGGINS, F, MINNESOTA: As his team continues to sink in the standings, Wiggins continues 
to rise in the rankings, widening the gap between the top two spots. He has scored 20 points in five straight games and seven of the last eight, averaging 21.5 points while shooting a scorching 51.5 percent (67-of-130) from the field. Would Cleveland have its problems if it had kept him? LAST WEEK: 1
2. NIKOLA MIROTIC, F, CHICAGO: Along with Wiggins, he was named Rookie of the Month for December 
and is as clear a second choice in these rankings as Wiggins is the top choice. He had two nice games before a 1-of-7 stinker in an inexplicable home loss to Utah. Teammate Joakim Noah said, “I think the sky is the limit. Someone who can play the 4 legitimately, someone who can play the 3 legitimately. That’s pretty rare.” LAST WEEK: 2
3. ELFRID PAYTON, G, ORLANDO: He nearly went all MCW on us and just missed a triple-double with 16 
points, 10 assists and nine rebounds (with three steals) as a frantic comeback fell short vs. Brooklyn. Then Payton reverted to can’t-shoot, doesn’t-score ways with nine points on 4-of-15 from the field in two more losses. If he ever develops consistency with his jump shot, he will be a handful. LAST WEEK: 3
4. JUSUF NURKIC, C, DENVER: We’ve said a lot already, but the truth is Nurkic already was coming on before
his tussle with Gasol and recent promotion. His last four games as a reserve produced numbers of 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in 23.3 minutes. Ironically, it was his first start against Orlando on Wednesday that ended his streak of double-digit scoring games at four. LAST WEEK: 6
5. K.J. MCDANIELS, F, PHILADELPHIA: Just when it looked like he was starting to fade, he snapped out of 
it with consecutive games in double digits, shooting 5-of-8 from the field in both contests. McDaniels has finally been installed as the starter at the wing as Hollis Thompson remains sidelined and the other options are rookies as well. He should stay there, too, based on his upside. LAST WEEK: 5
6. NERLENS NOEL, F-C, PHILADELPHIA: He averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in four games despite being limited by an ankle injury. But his shot selection and conversion rate remains unacceptable for a big man. Noel has made at least half his shots just twice since Dec. 3 and his overall shooting percentage of .417 is embarrassing for a 6-11 player with his length and quickness. LAST WEEK: 4
7. MARCUS SMART, G, BOSTON: He scored a minor victory of sorts when Jameer Nelson was made inactive 
and Phil Pressey didn’t get off the bench in Wednesday’s win at Brooklyn. In four games this week, Smart averaged 7.3 points, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 22 minutes while knocking down 6-of-13 3-pointers. For now, coming off the bench suits his high energy level, which sometimes leads to fouls. LAST WEEK: 8
8. TRAVIS WEAR, F, NEW YORK: He made the roster out of training camp because of his understanding of 
the triangle offense and has been one of the few bright spots in a very dim season on Broadway. Wear took advantage of multiple injuries in New York’s frontcourt to move further into the rotation this week and averaged 10.0 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 8-of-18 from 3-point range. LAST WEEK: NR
9. DANTE EXUM, G, UTAH: It’s pretty much his show now as fellow rookies Rodney Hood (heel injury) and 
Patrick Christopher (waived) are out of the picture. Exum isn’t starting – Gordon Hayward has slid to shooting guard, with fellow rookie Joe Ingles starting at small forward – but the teenager from Australia had his best week in a while with a pair of season-high 13-point games. LAST WEEK: NR
10. ZACH LAVINE, G, MINNESOTA: He appears to be fading fast and wearing down mentally more than anything else, which is understandable given that he wasn’t even supposed to play this season. Compared to the rest of the class, his numbers aren’t awful because he has the ball in his hands. But he has five straight single-digit scoring games, and his shooting and assists have slipped as well. LAST WEEK: 7
DROPOUTS: Rodney Hood, G, Utah (9); Nik Stauskas, G, Sacramento (10).
FIVE TO WATCH: Jordan Adams, F, Memphis; Langston Galloway, G, New York; Joe Harris, F, Cleveland; Kostas Papanikolaou, F, Houston; anybody on Philadelphia.
Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Mondays, and his Rookie Rankings on Fridays. Follow him on Twitter.
Keep an eye on Justin Holliday with the Warriors. Looking better than some of the guys you’ve mentioned here. Excellent defender and scoring much better than anticipated.
He’s been very good. Unfortunately he’s not a rookie. Thanks for reading.
Nurkic is from BOSNIA!!
My apologies. Fixed.
Also at the end you wrote wrong:
“The All-Star explained that is was just competition and something he expects on occasion from players from Serbia, before adding this little reminder.