couple things i saw that i would like him to improve on within reason. one, he does not looks for his offense enough (but he just got there). this is to me just trying to fit into the new system, and its so much easier to play selflessly with these guys than selfishly, and thats not his role either, but if everyone knows ur just gonna pass ur an easy cover, especially in the playoffs. he scored well today and in the right moments, but it def felt like he missed a couple to a few opportunities for bunnies cuz he was too worried with getting it to the right guys (when he was actually the best shot on the floor in those moments).
two, the pessimistic/nurk hating blazers fans did have one thing right, that his foot speed has gone really downhill. curry and paul blew by him multiple times like he was standing still, and a lot of those possessions they were not moving very fast. getting cooked by curry gets a pass cuz hes a huge threat beyond the arc, but cp3 is a mid 3 pt shooter who does not like to shoot 3s. if nurk cant stay in front of an old head like cp3, he will be absolutely feasted on by the likes of murray, fox, or anyone else who has good footspeed or likes to work in the pick and roll. murray is especially ruthless and will just keep running it back if he knows he can beat a big off the dribble, and he will play nurk straight off the floor if nurk doesnt improve.
but other than that it was a breath of fresh air watching him be utilized properly again. made me so happy!
loved this when he said it live, tripped me up when he said gotanabe the first time, was like “did i hear that correctly?” then he clarified and it made me happy cuz it was so silly. good to be silly sometimes