Jusuf Nurkic interestingly labeled a DNP - coach's decision on Tuesday night

The Charlotte Hornets fell 128-92 on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors, capping off statistically the worst four game stretch in NBA history, losing games by around 36.3 points a night.

Last night's game had much more negatives than it did positives, including but not limited to:

The performance of Miles Bridges, Mark Williams, Nick Smith Jr, and Damion Baugh. Despite these performances, one important piece stuck out throughout the night: the lack of Jusuf Nurkic.

The Hornets acquired Nurkic from the Phoenix Suns at the trade deadline in exchange for Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic. He was set to be a key center piece for the team with the presumed departure of Mark Williams. With Williams returning, Nurkic's role was more into question as the center rotation became jammed, especially with Moussa Diabate as well.

Feb 20, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) grabs a rebound in the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nurkic had played every game he was available, averaging 8.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists through his first five games. The former Sun was a high-level playmaker for the team during those games, recording 7 assists in two of the five games.

The Bosnian center took Moussa Diabate's rotation minutes when he first started with the team, as the former Wolverine received two straight DNP-CD's during Nurkic's first two games with the Hornets. Diabate has seen his minutes gradually increase since the DNPs, averaging 21.5 minutes a night since coming back into the rotation.

So, let's discuss what happened during last night's game.

It is extremely difficult to find minutes for players who cannot really play other positions. Diabate is undersized for a center, but he cannot play the power forward position. The former Clipper does not shoot the ball, and because of this it is difficult to play him at the four alongside Mark Williams, another center who cannot shoot. Nurkic CAN shoot, however he has shot 14.3% with the team so far.

Zach Roberts put it best in a previous article: "Both Nurkić and Williams are too tall to realistically play the four, although they could sparingly be used together in huge lineups."

Both players are seven foot, and it's hard to imagine them seeing the floor together ever. It's even harder to see Diabate on the court with either of them, as Charles Lee's offense revolves heavily around shooting. Yes, Nurkic can shoot. That does not mean he is a good one at the moment.

Last night was the second night of a back-to-back. There is a strong chance the team sat Nurkic to rest him. A key way to know if this is true is the fact that the team trailed by as many as 38, and he still did not see minutes. The Hornets had 12 healthy players, but only 3 did not play: Nurkic, Taj Gibson, and Elfrid Payton.

The center rotation saw 48 total minutes between Williams and Diabate last night. The three centers have played one total game where all received minutes, Saturday's game at Portland. The three combined for 50 total minutes. During Monday night's game against Sacramento, Williams was out. Nurkic and Diabate combined for 48 minutes.

So, there is clearly around 48 open minutes for the center rotation. Last night we saw Williams and Diabate receive those minutes. Perhaps next game it will be clearer as to if the Nurkic DNP was a blip, or was something to monitor going forward.

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