Trail Blazers' Jusuf Nurkic: Will play Wednesday vs. Jazz

Coach Terry Stotts said Nurkic will be available for Wednesday's tilt with the Jazz, Jay Allen of Rip City Radio 620 AM reports.

Analysis:

The Trail Blazers opted to hold out Nurkic, who was acquired from the Nuggets on Sunday, from Monday's overtime loss to the Hawks, but after getting an opportunity to practice Tuesday, he'll be able to make his team debut in Portland's final game before the All-Star break. The Trail Blazers deployed Meyers Leonard as their starting center and Ed Davis as his backup Monday, but look for Nurkic to cut into the minutes of both players Wednesday, even if only in a light capacity. Stotts indicated that Nurkic would come off the bench initially, but because neither Leonard nor Davis represent long-term solutions at center and have both generally disappointed in 2016-17, it's not hard to envision Nurkic eventually capturing the starting role. Nurkic makes for a high-upside speculative target in deeper leagues in the event he takes the starting job and ends up running with it.