Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Expected to move to bench

The Suns are expected to move Nurkic to the bench for Monday's game against the 76ers and replace him in the starting five with Mason Plumlee, NBA reporter Chris Haynes reports.

Nurkic will make his return from a three-game suspension Monday, but he'll come off the bench for the first time in 24 appearances this season as head coach Mike Budenholzer shakes up his lineups while the Suns are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. In addition to Nurkic, Bradley Beal will also move to the bench, opening up a spot on the top unit for Ryan Dunn. Though the assignment to the second unit will likely lower Nurkic's nightly playing-time ceiling, he was already averaging 24.3 minutes per game, his lowest mark since 2020-21. If Nurkic is able to retain a 20-to-25-minute role on a consistent basis, his fantasy outlook may not dramatically change with the move to the bench.