It was a less than ideal night for Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic facing the Minnesota Timberwolves for the second time in four nights.
Nurkic, now the Jazz’s nightly starter at center due to Walker Kessler’s season-ending injury, has had his ups and downs since being elevated to a bigger role on both ends of the floor. But it was against the Timberwolves where those flaws tended to rear their ugly head.
In 25 minutes, Nurkic finished his night with six points on 2-11 shooting from the field, along with 10 rebounds, three assists, and one block, ultimately as part of the Jazz’s 113-120 loss.
Finishing a night shooting 2-11 from the field isn’t the most optimal outcome for any player in the league, but especially not for a big man like Nurkic, a guy who works inside the three-point line for a lot of his shot opportunities, and should be connecting a bit more of those looks.
Jusuf Nurkic Struggling Notably on the Offensive End
Oct 31, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) in the first half between the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
Those offensive lapses been a common theme for Nurkic across the early part of the season so far. Nurkic is shooting an abysmal 34.7% from the field in his initial sample size––taking seven and a half shots per night, and two of those coming from three.
We know Nurkic isn’t quite the defender or anchor in the middle that Kessler is, but offensively, he might be a bit further back than once thought too. Nurkic is a solid playmaker for his position, and is a nice asset to have on the glass, but his glaring flaws have become a bit too hard to ignore.
This was hilarious. Jusuf Nurkić takes a wide-open look from three, which Jaden McDaniels just waves off. Nurkiċ entered tonight shooting 11% from deep on the season. pic.twitter.com/YIEo9fPt2v
— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) November 11, 2025
As a result, those struggles have raised some major questions about whether the Jazz should make a move at the center position to help smoothen their rotation for the rest of this season.
It’s certainly a bit early in the year to be discussing potential trades or upgrades for any team around the league, but Kessler’s season-ending injury that leaves them without a key starter for the ext few months changes the landscape for the Jazz in particular.
With 70 games to go in the year, the idea of a new acquisition at the five shouldn’t be labeled premature, as Nurkic and Kevin Love are the two main names getting playing time at the position, and thus far, haven’t exactly proven to be perfect.
If the Jazz wanted to be aggressive in optimizing their roster, and more specifically, their frontcourt, they could look at a couple of directions. Utah could dabble in the trade market, albeit earlier than teams typically entertain discussions at the point in the year, or a low-risk free agent pickup could be another route to bring on additional depth without shipping off any assets.
One Potential Big Man Target to Watch
Oct 16, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Mo Bamba (11) waits to pass to Utah Jazz center Kyle Filipowski (22) during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images
One name to look at in the coming weeks is veteran big man Mo Bamba. The former sixth-overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft was on the Jazz’s training camp roster and currently signed to their G League affiliate in the Salt Lake City Stars. He’s got familiarity with the team and a good amount of experience that makes him a bit more appealing as a signing than others.
Will Bamba be the key to maximizing the Jazz’s frontcourt in the wake of Nurkic’s latest struggles? He likely won’t hold all of the answers, but as a depth piece that can have a chance to step up amid Kessler’s absence, his length and defensive upside presents an intriguing possibility for Utah’s front office to consider, and bring some necessary attention to their center rotation.
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