NBA Season Preview 2017-18: 20 things to watch this NBA season

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 12: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a foul shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of the 2017 NBA Finals on June 12, 2017 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Bruce Yeung/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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11. Jusuf Nurkic’s encore in Portland

Before acquiring Jusuf Nurkic in mid-February, the Portland Trail Blazers were dead in the water. They limped into the All-Star break with a 23-33 record, as marquee free-agent signing Evan Turner proved to be a monumental bust. While they were only two games behind the Denver Nuggets for the West’s No. 8 seed, nothing about their first three-and-a-half months suggested they could string together a hot streak and surge into the playoffs.

Nurkic changed that overnight. During his 20 outings with the Blazers, the Bosnian Beast erupted for 15.2 points on 50.8 percent shooting, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals in just 29.2 minutes per game. Not only did he provide a much-needed shot-blocking presence around the rim, but his bone-crunching screens helped free Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum for a higher number of wide-open shots than they enjoyed earlier in the season.

Can Nurkic sustain that production, or was it just a small-sample flash in the pan? With free agency awaiting him in 2018, he’ll have 100-plus million reasons to prove it’s the former rather than the latter, but inconsistency plagued him throughout much of the first two-and-a-half years of his career. If it rears its ugly head again, he’ll have to avoid reverting to the sulking, pouty player who scuffled his way through his final season in Denver.

With Lillard, McCollum and Nurkic in tow, Portland could sneak into one of the West’s final few playoff spots. If the 2016-17 campaign is any indication, Nurkic will be the X-factor who goes a long way toward determining whether the Blazers spend late April at home or battling for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Next: 10. The Dennis Smith Jr. era begins in Dallas