Utah Jazz Embracing Early Impact From Kevin Love, Jusuf Nurkic

While they might not be cornerstone pieces of the future for the Utah Jazz and their rebuild process, the veteran duo of Kevin Love and Jusuf Nurkic have seemingly had a lot to offer to the team within their initial stint in Salt Lake City.

For Nurkic, he's been the Jazz's starting center throughout the time they've been without Walker Kessler amid his season-ending shoulder injury, now finding his way to being the team's leading rebounder. Love has also seen a bit of a boost in his opportunities because of that injury, being a fill-in for Utah's backup five-spot for just around 15 minutes a night.

Compared to what both had been envisioned to be for the Jazz this season from an outside perspective, each of Love and Nurkic has been a bit of a pleasant surprise in the first portion of this NBA season.

And clearly, head coach Will Hardy is a huge fan of what both Love and Nurkic bring to the building, particularly as insightful veteran voices that can help this young Jazz team grow.

"They are massive parts of the fabric of our team," Hardy said of Love and Nurkic. "They provide a lot of knowledge in terms of their own careers, things they've seen, situations they've been in. They can help our players through different moments because of their own experiences."

It's quality veteran leadership for the Jazz that wasn't quite as prevalent around the roster last year as it was for their previous campaign in 2024-25.

Kevin Love, Jusuf Nurkic Emerging as Highly Impactful Vets

Sure, Jordan Clarkson was an experienced name to have around, but he was the only player ending the season on Utah's roster with at least 10 years of league tenure. This year, they've started with four names who've been at it for at least a decade, and the pairing of Love and Nurkic makes up for half of that.

Nov 30, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

But it's not just the on-court experience and league tenure that makes both Love and Nurkic strong value adds for this young roster; it's also a credit to how they carry themselves within the facility as leaders by example.

"They're also total pros in terms of how they come to work today, how they take care of their bodies," Hardy continued. "I think they're modeling really good behaviors. They're both incredibly likeable personalities. They've endeared themselves to their teammates, to the organization, to our staff very quickly because of the way they carry themselves."

"They're both tremendous human beings, they have great sense of humor. They don't make it about them. They've made themselves a bit part or our team, and we're lucky to have them."

It remains to be seen what the fit will look like for Nurkic and Love in Utah as the season progresses, especially around the trade deadline once league buzz gets going for roster movement, where the Jazz could decide to get frisky with a few moves.

For now, though, their presence is more than welcomed in Utah as helping hands to get this rebuild where it's envisioned to be.

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