Suns Address Starter Playing Zero Minutes

PHOENIX -- In the midst of a lot of outside noise and struggles, the Phoenix Suns were able to get back on track with a 123-115 win over the Atlanta Hawks Thursday, but another curious situation arose in the victory.

In his third game since being demoted from the starting lineup, Suns center Jusuf Nurkic did not play a single minute against Atlanta.

Coach Mike Budenholzer was asked about why Nurkic did not play after the game.

"Just went with Mason (Plumlee) and Oso (Ighodaro) tonight," Budenholzer said. "Again, always just trying to figure out what's best for the team and find the right combinations, the right group."

When a follow-up question was asked if it was a matchup-based decision, Budenholzer reiterated what he originally said:

"No, we just went with Mason and Oso."

Nurkic said in the locker room that he did not have any conversations with Budenholzer prior to the game about not playing.

"No. No, he never communicated, but that's fine," Nurkic said (via PHNX's Gerald Bourguet).

He was then questioned about how he embraces the role.

"No comment, man. Just being a pro and staying ready. That's all."

.@KellanOlson asked Jusuf Nurkic if there was a discussion with Mike Budenholzer about not playing tonight.

"No. No, he never communicated, but that's fine."

On how he embraces that role:

"No comment, man. Just being a pro and staying ready. That's all."
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) January 10, 2025

Nurkic was coming off a performance in which he had eight points, five fouls and was a minus-22 in 19 minutes in Phoenix's disheartening 115-104 loss to the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday.

This was the response Nurkic offered after the Charlotte loss when asked about his benching, which came immediately after he returned from a three-game suspension for his role in an altercation during Phoenix's Dec. 27 loss to the Dallas Mavericks:

“They were completely transparent that they not looking to shop us or whatever, but also, we’re not kids. We understand this is part of the job. There’s nothing you can do, at least in my situation," Nurkic said (via The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin).

In the first two games with Nurkic off the bench, Phoenix had been rolling out a three-center rotation with him, Plumlee and Ighodaro.

Against the Hawks, Plumlee started in Nurkic's place again and ended with two points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes. Ighodaro provided a lot of energy off the bench, finishing with four points, five rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 25 minutes.

As the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches, it is clear that the Suns have a glaring need at center and this current situation complicates matters even further.