In the final installment, Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn falls short behind Ja Morat on the Kia Rookie Ladder for Rookie of the Year.
Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn likely won’t win Rookie of the Year, but could he finish second? KIA tracks all rookies for the entire season in a weekly column called the KIA Rookie Ladder. In their latest and final installment, they say the award belongs to Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
This has long been the consensus around the league, so it’s not too surprising. But it is nice to see Nunn ahead of Zion Williamson, who had been gaining some traction for the award recently. The 2019 first overall pick didn’t touch the floor until January and has played just 19 games so far.
That alone wasn’t enough to top the 62 game campaign from Nunn as a starter for Miami. He’s averaging 15.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.7 rebounds for the Heat this season. His emergence along with other youth has made the team a dark horse contender in this year’s postseason.
If nothing else, Nunn certainly has the most compelling journey. He went undrafted in 2018 and spent a year in the G-League before being signed to a three-year deal with Miami last April. Morant and Williamson, on the other hand, were the top two picks in last year’s draft.
Williamson, Coby White, and RJ Barrett fell behind Nunn on the Rookie Ladder respectively.
The Miami Heat likely know they don’t have this season’s Rookie of the Year in house. But Pat Riley and company are no doubt content that Kendrick Nunn ended up in South Beach regardless.
The team’s next scrimmage match will be on Saturday against the Utah Jazz.
Tip-off is at 4:00 pm est.