Danny Chau on Jusuf Nurkic:

I’ve really pigeonholed myself as the international prospects guy over the past week, and as much as I want to show the Internet that I’m more than just a foreign fetishist, I really, really want you to know about Big Jusuf.

Jusuf Nurkic (not to be confused with fellow European big man prospect Nikola Jokic) is a big boy. Real big. And remarkably fluid for all the heft. He’s a moai of Easter Island gliding up and down the court on a dolly. He’s Zangief with Chun-Li’s legs (sorry). He is, based on height and weight alone, every bit the brick wall Nikola Pekovic is, but with little dainty dancer’s feet, allowing him to do ridiculous things no man his size should even dream is possible.

Check out this play at 7:10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx2IXpr5Wzk

Look at where he is hedging this pick-and-roll. Look at him rushing the passer. Look at how terrified that poor guy is. Look at how fluid he is taking the ball coast-to-coast for the dunk. How many other 6-foot-11, 280-pound guys in the NBA are capable of pulling this play off? DeMarcus Cousins, surely, but there is no way he’s putting that much effort into hedging that far out. Greg Monroe would be able to get the steal, but he’s not getting from Point A to B that quickly.

Scouts have talked about Nurkic’s “conditioning issues,” but if he’s already capable of doing things like this, imagine what he could do when a team whips him into shape. It’s a pick-and-roll league, and this guy has shown he can play it on both ends of the floor. Again, he’s 6-foot-11 and 280 pounds. It’s surprising he isn’t considered a consensus top-10 prospect. Whatever, man. I’m holding this tiny dancer close.