When the Trail Blazers took to the court to face the Orlando Magic, two players were new to the lineup as Jusuf Nurkic marked his return from a wrist fracture and Normal Powell arrived following a trade with the Toronto Raptors. Jason Quick of the Athletic points out that both players made their mark in the performance against the Magic. Nurkic mentioned that he wanted to bring more aggressiveness to his defense, and he recognized the role he plays on that end of the court.
“I’m a big part of our defense, (and) where we want to go,” Nurkic said.