Hoops Nightly
Jusuf Nurkic
Jazz · C · 32
Jusuf Nurkic
vs
2025-26
9
Bucks · C · 22
Kel'el Ware
Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

Jusuf Nurkic vs Kel'el Ware

6-11categories
Nurkic · Ware

Jusuf Nurkic: Out (Foot · Leg · Right).

Jusuf Nurkic
Nurkic
Jazz
2025-26
Ware
Bucks
9
41
Games
availability
77
26.4
Minutes
per game
22.1
10.9
Points
per game
11.1
10.4
Rebounds
per game
9.0
4.8
Assists
per game
0.7
1.8
Steals + blocks
per game
1.9
2.5
Turnovers
per game · lower is better
0.8
50.3%
Field goal %
53.0%
35.2%
Three-point %
1.7 vs 3.0 attempts
39.5%
54.9%
Free throw %
74.0%
54.8%
True shooting
TS%
61.6%
18.6%
Usage
USG%
17.4%
26.1%
Assist %
of teammates' baskets
4.6%
18.2%
Rebound %
of available
18.0%
-7.9
Net rating
on court
-1.0
12.1%
PIE
player impact estimate
13.7%
-4.6
Plus-minus
per game
-0.9
Bars show each player's share of the pair's total; the better number is in the club's color (turnovers: fewer is better).

Where the gap is

from the numbers above

Kel'el Ware scored more in 2025-26, 0.2 points a game apart (11.1 vs 10.9), on Nurkic's heavier usage (18.6% vs 17.4%).

Ware is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 61.6% to 54.8%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to Nurkic (4.8 vs 0.7 assists), the glass to Nurkic (10.4 vs 9.0 rebounds).

Availability is part of the comparison: Ware played 36 more games (77 vs 41 of 82).

With Ware on the floor his team outscored opponents by -1.0 per 100 possessions, against -7.9 for Nurkic; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Nurkic $10.6M through 2027-28, Ware $4.7M through 2027-28. Whether either fits a trade is a Trade Machine question, not a stat one.

Splits

2025-26 · from the game logs
Nurkic
2025-26
Ware
14-27
Record when playing
39-38
11.5
Points at home
10.6
10.2
Points on the road
11.6
11.4
Points in wins
13.2
10.7
Points in losses
8.9
26
Season high
28
0
30-point games
0
16
Double-doubles
24

Last games & contracts

test a trade in the Trade Machine →
Nurkic · last 5
Mon, Oct 12 vs SAS0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast
Tue, Oct 6 vs DEN0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast
Sun, Oct 4 at DEN4 pts · 5 reb · 4 ast
Wed, Feb 11 vs SAC8 pts · 9 reb · 4 ast
Mon, Feb 9 at MIA10 pts · 16 reb · 1 ast
Ware · last 5
Fri, Oct 16 at IND13 pts · 3 reb · 1 ast
Wed, Oct 14 vs CHI5 pts · 5 reb · 1 ast
Sun, Oct 11 at CHA10 pts · 2 reb · 1 ast
Wed, Oct 7 at OKC18 pts · 12 reb · 1 ast
Mon, Oct 5 vs MIN14 pts · 12 reb · 0 ast
Nurkic · contract
2026-27$10.6M
2027-28$11.4M
Ware · contract
2026-27$4.7M
2027-28$7.1M

More comparisons

pick any two players →
Nurkic vs
Rudy Gobert · Kel'el Ware · Jakob Poeltl · Jock Landale
Ware vs
Jusuf Nurkic · Rudy Gobert · Kyle Filipowski · Jakob Poeltl

Per-game numbers and percentages are 2025-26 regular season from stats.nba.com; splits and last games from our own game logs; contract figures are cap hits from public salary data and can lag a signing by a day. Bold marks the better number in each row (turnovers: fewer is better).