Miami Heat: Undrafted rookie Kendrick Nunn has been a pleasant surprise

The undrafted rookie is having an outstanding beginning to his NBA career with the Miami Heat

If we rewind to just last year at this time, Kendrick Nunn wasn’t even on an NBA roster. He went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, then signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors shortly after. Nunn didn’t show them enough and the organization ultimately released him.

He was then assigned to their G-league affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, for the remainder of last season, averaging 19.3 points per game off the bench, starting just one of 49 games for the team. Thanks to his impressive campaign, the Miami Heat signed him on April 10th.

Let’s fast forward to now. Nunn has emerged as a starter in South Beach, averaging 17.6 points per night on 49 percent shooting from the field. The 24-year-old is also playing 30 minutes per game, which is extremely impressive for a rookie who barely started a contest in the G-League last season.

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His rise to prominence this year for the Heat has been spectacular. He showed out in preseason, proving to Erik Spoelstra that he has what it takes to compete at the NBA level. In Miami’s last preseason game on October 18th, Nunn dropped 40 points against a very good Rockets team.

Then, to begin the 2019-20 campaign, the former Illinois guard was on fire, averaging 22.3 points in his first three NBA games, which led to Nunn being named the NBA Player of the Week.

The Heat guard has scored in double digits in every single game this season except for one, including seven contests where he put up 20-plus points. He is second among all NBA rookies in scoring, behind only Ja Morant. Nunn also leads all first-year players with 1.4 steals per night. He’s also second in points per game on the Heat behind only Jimmy Butler.

Nunn has proven to be one of the most important players for Spoelstra’s team and a natural bucket-getter who has played a vital part in Miami’s spectacular start to the season.

Making the most out of his opportunities

Nunn has always been a natural scorer, dating back to his college days. After three seasons at the University of Illinois, he transferred to Oakland University, scoring 25.9 points per game in his senior year, second in the nation behind Trae Young, but was overlooked in the 2018 draft.

At just 6-foot-2, he is slightly undersized for the NBA, but his stature hasn’t looked like an issue whatsoever so far in his young NBA career. Nunn is extremely quick and athletic, using his natural abilities to weave amongst big men and get to the hoop and finish. He’s also very good at shooting the 3, averaging 38.7 percent from downtown on 5.8 attempts per night. On both catch and shoot and pull-up scenarios, his left-handed stroke has looked extremely smooth.

From a playmaking standpoint, Nunn has been very effective as well. He’s averaging 3.4 assists per night. When he drives to the hoop and draws defenders towards him, it’s creating space for guys like Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic on the perimeter for open looks. It’s just another example of how smart of a player Nunn really is.

There were a few things that happened in college that hurt Nunn’s draft interest in 2018. But there is absolutely no questioning his abilities to play basketball. Should he have been passed up in the summer of 2018? Probably not. But all 30 teams decided to head in a different direction that didn’t involve Nunn. The 24-year-old is proving all of them wrong now, emerging as one of the best rookies in the game.

That disappointment Kendrick Nunn felt on draft night has stuck with him and motivated the Heat guard to work his tail off in order to get his shot at the NBA level. Miami gave him the opportunity and he is running with it. It’s always refreshing when you see an undrafted player make a positive impression at the NBA level.

Expect Nunn to keep playing at a high level for the Heat as they look to get back into playoff contention this season in a competitive Eastern Conference.