According to Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, Nurkic was prepared to return to the lineup before the league shut down and that he "looks great". (Sean Highkin on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact
Nurkic received clearance to return to the Blazers lineup on March 15th but that return was cut short due to coronavirus. Nurkic has been rehabbing over the past year after suffering compound fractures to the tibia and fibula of his lower left leg. The Blazers signed Hassan Whiteside this past off-season and has filled a considerable void left in Nurkic's absence. However, Nurkic is a better pick-and-roll player with Damian Lillard so while Nurkic may not get starter minutes, he'll be a valuable offensive weapon off the bench for the Blazers. He's no slouch on defense either, as he's averaged 1.3 blocks and 0.8 steals per game over the past five seasons prior to his injury. Nurkic can fill up the stat sheet with limited minutes so depending on his fit, he may serve as a decent cheap valued center in DFS for the remainder of the season.