The Triple Team: How does Jusuf Nurkic feel about his future with the Utah Jazz?

Three thoughts on the week in Jazz basketball from Salt Lake Tribune Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen.

1. Jusuf Nurkic’s view on remaining with the Jazz

Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic didn’t see the court much this week, as the Jazz chose to DNP-CD him to ensure losses to the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks are close in the tank race, and two Jazz wins would have catapulted them past Dallas; two losses did the opposite.

But that doesn’t mean he’s not a central figure in Jazzland for the next couple of weeks. The reason? Nurkic is a player to watch around the trade deadline, ESPN reported.

“Nurkic is the lone Utah starter headed to unrestricted free agency, and his $19.4 million salary makes him a tough fit for contending teams via trade,” ESPN’s Kevin Pelton said. “More realistically, the Jazz could try to work a buyout with Nurkic, who has averaged a career-high 4.3 assists per game by making plays when opposing defenses trap Utah guard Keyonte George."

What does Nurkic think about his future in Utah? We asked him in Sunday’s practice.

“I’m a Jazz for life, baby,” he started with a smile.

Well, OK, that wasn’t his full thought.

“I don’t know. I mean, I obviously love being here. It’s been a great experience so far, and hopefully we continue the journey for a long time. But you can’t really control a lot of things,” Nurkic continued. “It’s not probably bad or wrong or good to be in the trade rumors, it’s something in between. But if it’s up to me, I’m not leaving, so, finish the season with the Jazz.”

So yes, Nurkic wants to stay in Utah. It does not seem like he’ll accept a big discount on that buyout if the Jazz were to offer him one.

Furthermore, Nurkic is pretty highly regarded among the Jazz’s brain trust. They note that he leads the league in screen assists (yes, he’s above Rudy Gobert), and think he facilitates their off-ball style well. In an ideal world, they could trade him somewhere he could contribute in the second half of the season without the DNP-CDs, and then return as a solid backup behind Walker Kessler in the long term.

On the other hand, if they were able to get something for him in this trade market, I think they’d have to heavily consider it, given how they’re sitting him in order to tank as is. They don’t know for certain Nurkic will return as a free agent, and future assets still are the most important aspect of this Jazz rebuild.

2. What’s next for Taylor Hendricks and Keyonte George

Last week, we highlighted the early struggles of Taylor Hendricks, who is lacking in floor impact right now. Those struggles continued as the Jazz gave him big minutes as veterans rested. So I asked Jazz head coach Will Hardy what he’s telling Hendricks in this stretch of the season.

“My messaging with Taylor is that defense — and becoming a defender, being somebody who views themselves as a defender — is a personality. It’s not a style of play. It’s almost like an alter ego, and I’m trying to help him continue to establish that," Hardy said.

The problem is that Hendricks doesn’t have that alter ego right now: His play on the court is just as nice as he is off of it. His return to Dallas, the site of his devastating injury, reflected that.

“Just watching film, getting reps and just being intentional during every possession, I feel like those are the big components,” Hendricks said of what steps he’ll need to take to improve. Getting feisty would help too.

Meanwhile, I asked Hardy a similar question, but in a much different context, for Jazz guard Keyonte George. George is having an incredible season, so what’s next for him?

“We’ve got to continue to build his defensive physicality. This year, he has grown in terms of his ability to move his feet on the perimeter and keep the ball in front. I’d like for him to contest better at the end of those possessions,” Hardy said.

“But I think the biggest area where we need to see growth is the lower defensive box — that eight to 10 feet close to the basket. Being ultra physical there, whether that’s as a helper, switching on to bigs, fighting for space, on rebounds, going to sandwich rebound more... I think if those things continue to grow, we’re going to be in a good spot," Hardy said.

So much of defense is 24-second punishing effort — both of these guys could do more of that.

3. An incredible assist season

The Jazz have never averaged more than 30 assists per game in a season.

You remember John Stockton, probably? Deron Williams? Mike Conley? Maybe you’re even old enough to remember Rickey Green, or Pete Maravich? The Jazz, with all of those players, never had quite as many assists per game as they have this year — 30.1 per game. It’s true!

To be sure, the biggest reason this is happening is the offensive explosion in the NBA and the pace at which the Jazz play. Teams are as efficient offensively as they’ve ever been, thanks to the 3-point shot, and they’re playing at an extremely high pace; they’re 3rd in the NBA.

But the Jazz are also playing an extremely ball-movement-oriented style of play that is pretty darn fun to watch. They run straight-up isolation or pick and roll pretty infrequently, instead preferring to move off the ball, cut, and pass. In the first half of the San Antonio game, they had 18 field goals...and 18 assists. And that means they’re second in the NBA in assists this year, which is great.

Now, this is where I tell you that the Jazz actually have led the league in assists in seven different NBA seasons. Ball movement is part of the team’s identity. But it’s extremely encouraging that they’re living up to a key tenet of Jazz Basketball despite playing poorly in general.