The move from starter to bench player in the NBA is not always easy, but it’s one that Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter has handled gracefully. After doing well filling in for the oft-injured Jusuf Nurkic earlier this season, the Turkish big man has continued doing what he does best on the court — getting boards and getting buckets — while coming off the bench.
Since Nurkic’s return, Kanter has come off the bench in eight of the last ten Blazer games. He’s started the other two games in that span while Nurkic sat for injury management against the Pistons and for knee inflammation against the Clippers.