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Fansided

Nuggets: Top five enforcers of all time

By Brandon Ewing

HOUSTON - NOVEMBER 24: Dikembe Mutombo
HOUSTON - NOVEMBER 24: Dikembe Mutombo /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 31: Timofey Mozgov #20 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Jusuf Nurkic #23 of the Denver Nuggets chase down a rebound in the first half of the game at Staples Center on January 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 31: Timofey Mozgov #20 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Jusuf Nurkic #23 of the Denver Nuggets chase down a rebound in the first half of the game at Staples Center on January 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Jusuf Nurkic

This one’s still a little sore as the Nuggets fans and Nurkic had a bit of a rocky departure last

Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets /

Denver Nuggets

season. Nurkic wasn’t happy with his playing time and the Nuggets were certainly not happy with his attitude, so he was shipped off to Portland during the middle of the season. It can’t be denied though that Nurkic is a huge body when on the court and certainly doesn’t put up with anyone messing with him or his team.

One of the things I loved about Nurkic was that he wasn’t scared of anyone. Whether it was LeBron James or just some average NBA player, Nurkic had one mission and that was to destroy his opponent, and he was cocky while doing it. My favorite Nurkic move is the make a lay-up after posting a guy up, and then placing the ball in the guys lap when he’s on the floor. Even though it results in a technical, I still had no issue with it because the Nuggets needed that kind of attitude when he was on the court.

He brought a certain swagger and attitude when on the court and that might be what ultimately doomed him in the end. The Nuggets were tired of that attitude because it resulted in Nurkic not being as much of a team player and it became all about him towards the middle of last season. The two were definitely on a road where they needed to split up and Nurkic had some great success in his short stint with the Blazers last season. It’ll be interesting to see how Nurkic performs this season and if he returns to his old form that made him one of the greatest Nuggets enforcers off all-time.

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