Jurkic: Is Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic the Perfect Combo?
Coach Mike Malone experimented with a Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic starting lineup, and needless to say, it excelled.
The Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone toyed with the lineup of bigs Nikola Jokic, who stand 6 foot-11 inches, and Jusuf Nurkic, who is a full seven feet tall.
Apparently, he liked it enough to continue trying to out. He started with these two along with Danilo Gallinari in the front court in the Nuggets preseason opener.
According to BSN Denver, Malone said this about the lineup after practice:
More from Nugg Love
- Was trading Bones Hyland a mistake for the Denver Nuggets?
- Did Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets break Anthony Davis?
- Denver Nuggets stars face serious disrespect in recent NBA rankings poll
- What will it take for Denver Nuggets star to become ‘inevitable?’
- Denver Nuggets NBA Training Camp report, other preseason dates to know
“They do look for each other which is great. They’re so skilled and the great thing about Nikola is he can space the floor to three, so it’s not like we have two guys that are stuck on the block which takes away driving lanes from our perimeter players. The floor is open.”
According to the same report, Coach Malone also made a little pun as he said,” There is definitely some Balkan buddy ball going on with those two guys.”
Coach Malone likes it and so do we. Jusuf Nurkic’s efficiency was a question mark coming into this preseason game, and he did very well going 4-9 from the floor and converting on all 7 of his free throws. He also chipped in some defensive stats. The big Bosnian made his impact felt.
As far as Jokic, he played well, scoring 12 points and cashing in one three. Overall, the two counterbalance each other very well, and this will be a lineup we see moving forward.
Must Read: Denver Nuggets: Fantasy Implications
While Darrell Arthur‘s return could still mean the starting lineup could switch, Jurkic has a good possible to be the starting front court this season.
