Blazers Center Jusuf Nurkic to Miss at Least Four Weeks Due to Plantar Fasciitis

Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic will be out at least four weeks due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot, the team announced Wednesday. 

Nurkic, 27, has played through symptoms of plantar fasciitis since September. He will undergo a treatment and recovery program before being reevaluated in four weeks.

Nurkic has played well, even while battling the left foot injury in 2021-22. The Bosnian center has started 56 of Portland’s 59 games, averaging 15 points per contest along with career-highs in shooting percentage (53.5%) and rebounds per game (11.1).

Injuries have been an issue for Nurkic in recent years. He played in just eight regular season games during the 2019-20 campaign after suffering a compound fracture of his left tibia and fibula in March ’19. He played in just 37 games last season.

Nurkic’s latest injury will force the Blazers to make another adjustment in what‘s already been a tumultuous season for the franchise. Portland has been without star point guard Damian Lillard since December due to an abdominal injury, and it has traded away a host of players, including CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, Robert Covington and Larry Nance Jr. 

The Blazers (25–34) hold the final play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference with 23 games to go.