Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić has been diagnosed with a right thigh contusion and he will miss at least another week of action. He missed the Suns’ most recent game, a 113-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors, after suffering the injury in a November 27 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
The injury-prone big man has seen his statistical output decline this season, as he’s averaging just 8.9 points and 9.9 rebounds in his 16 starts. His 48.2% effective field goal percentage is also his lowest since his second season. Nurkić was already the fourth option on a top-heavy Phoenix roster and has seen his playing time cut to just 24.1 minutes per game, his lowest since the 2020-21 season.
With Nurkić out for at least the Suns’ matchups against the Spurs (Tuesday), Pelicans (Thursday), Heat (Saturday), and Magic (Sunday), journeyman center Mason Plumlee will slide into the starting lineup. Plumlee will probably put up modest statistical output, though; he’s only scored double-digit points once this season. He’s also not a workhorse and played just 16 minutes against the Warriors despite starting, so fans can expect Phoenix head coach Mike Budenholzer to lean more into small-ball lineups with Nurkić sidelined.
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