Jusuf Nurkic Named To All-Rookie Second Team

Apr 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Melvin Hunt speaks with center Jusuf Nurkic (23) between plays against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets 133-126. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Nuggets season this past year was brutal. They didn’t win many games, the coach was fired, and players underperformed. The Nuggets have not been successful in a few seasons and not much has been going their way.

However, there was one major bright spot for the team, and that was Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic was not expected to be much of a contributor upon joining the Nuggs, be he took the league by storm. Nurkic averaged 6.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game in his first season in the NBA.

Nurkic went from barely playing to a huge part of the team. He showed signs of a good scorer, solid rebounder, and a good defender. Joining Nurkic on the list were Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics, Bojan Bodgandvic of the Brooklyn Nets, Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Langston Galloway of the New York Knicks.

While it is exciting news, Nurkic will now have to spend this off-season rehabbing. He recently had knee surgery, and he will be out for at least 3-4 months. The Nuggets will look for Nurkic to be a big piece of their future going forward, but the hope is his injury will not put a delay on his development.