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Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic responded to NBA writer and analyst Shane Young with an interesting tweet. Fans are yet to see the long-term effects of the trade that sent Deandre Ayton away from the Suns in exchange for Nurkic. This decision has been a divisive one, and among those who disagree with it is Shane Young, an NBA writer and analyst for Forbes.
Based on his tweets, Young believes that the trade that sent the 2018 No. 1 pick away to a different team is not the right move, even calling the deal "silly."
Young has also tweeted some stats that compare Ayton and Nurkic's performances, which could be attributed to his occupation as an analyst. In one of his recent posts, he compared Nurkic and Kevin Durant's production to that of Boston Celtics tandem Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's.
Nurkic reposted that tweet with a statement that could be viewed as a response to the analysts' comparisons of the two centers.
"Not sure who is more washed," Nurkic tweeted.
Initially, one could look at this interaction and not see how this was Nurkic firing back at Young. However, by looking at the context, some might realize that this comparison could be a diss towards the Phoenix Suns.
The Celtics are the top team, not only in their conference but in the entire NBA. Meanwhile, the Suns are sixth in the East and are at risk of falling out of a guaranteed playoff spot and into the play-in tournament.
Fans could further see how Nurkic could be firing back at Young by looking at the analyst's reply under his tweet where he says that while he didn't think things would play out this well, he believes that the Bosnian center could still be outplayed in certain situations.
At the moment, the verdict should still be out on Nurkic and how he will pan out for the Phoenix Suns since he hasn't even played a full season with the team. However, it is worth noting that Ayton was part of the Suns roster that made the NBA Finals in 2021 and that could be used as a measuring stick for Nurkic.
Even so, Shane Young's take on the Nurkic-Ayton trade might be a misfire based on how well the Bosnian center has fit with his new teammates.
Also read: "Look at lineup data": JJ Redick warns against underestimating Phoenix Suns in the playoffs
Phoenix Suns trade skeptic earlier dissed James Harden-Clippers deal
Aside from being against the Jusuf Nurkic-Deandre Ayton trade, Shane Young also seems to have miscalculated how well James Harden would fit with the LA Clippers. He was among the multitude who thought trading for Harden could end up becoming a disaster for the team. In fact, he was vocal about it on Twitter.
At first, Young and all the other Harden naysayers seemed to be right. The Clippers struggled to get wins early on, even going on a losing streak after the trade was completed.
However, Harden and the Clippers figured things out eventually and are now sitting at the fourth spot in the West and are looking like a shoo-in for the playoffs.
Comparing Jusuf Nurkic and Deandre Ayton's performances for the Phoenix Suns
It is too early to decide which center between Nurkic and Ayton is the overall better player for the Phoenix Suns. Ayton played five seasons with them until he was traded to the Blazers before the 2023-24 season.
In those five seasons, the Bahamian big man averaged 16.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. Meanwhile, in his first season with the Phoenix Suns, the veteran Nurkic has averaged 11.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg and 1.1 bpg.
One could look at these numbers and think that Ayton is a better scorer, but he played on an entirely different roster. He was one of the main options on offense while he was there, and his production was helped by having Chris Paul as his point guard.
Meanwhile, Nurkic is rarely the first person that the coaches would draw up a play for when the team has so many offensive weapons. However, he has found a role as a defensive specialist who crashes the boards on both ends. It's a role that he plays well.
Guess the Lakers players!
