Kendrick Nunn hasn’t been himself since arriving in Orlando. Will it cost him his starting job and playoff minutes with the Miami Heat?
The Miami Heat have had a poor-timed development upon their arrival in Orlando, Florida, where the NBA has put measures in place to finish out the 2019-2020 campaign. Starting point guard Kendrick Nunn has been caught in a shooting slump unlike we’ve seen at any point this year.
It’s made for some complications for a Heat team that isn’t flashing one of the league’s better depths at point guard. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has had to address the rotation for a position he once thought of as rock-solid for Miami, as they prepare for playoffs next week.
In Nunn’s 62 appearances for the Heat prior to the season’s suspension, he was averaging 15.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.7 rebounds on a 44/36/83 shooting split. Solid for an undrafted rookie.
But in Orlando, for five of the eight seeding games he was available, Nunn hasn’t been able to find the bottom of the net. He’s posting 10.8 points per game while shooting just 31 percent from the field and 20 percent from the three-point line, numbers that could endanger his starting job.
His availability, or lack thereof, hasn’t helped his case either. Nunn was one of three Miami players to test positive for COVID-19 before the team traveled to Orlando, which resulted in him missing the first of their three scrimmages prior to the official restart of the regular season.
Due to a brief trip outside of the bubble for personal reasons, the point guard also missed three of their last four regular-season games. It’s given other guys like Tyler Herro, and veteran point guard Goran Dragic the opportunity to impress in auditions for the starting role.
Will Kendrick Nunn be coach Spoelstra’s starting point guard in the playoffs?
So here the Miami Heat sit, smack in the middle of speculation surrounding their starting lineup ahead of what is supposed to be a non-eventful first-round victory over the Indiana Pacers.
That could change of course, if coach Spoelstra makes the wrong play at point guard, and provides more of an ideal matchup for two-way guards Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo.
One thought, as Miami and Indiana prepare to square off for a maximum of seven games, is to look back at their two previous matchups from the regular season.
In the first of those, a December thriller that resulted in a Heat win, Nunn put up 17 points, and efficiently. In the second game, which yearned the same result, the point guard put together 15 points on yet again an efficient shooting line in a Miami victory.
Nunn’s success against Indiana suggests that maybe giving him a short leash as a starter in Game’s one and two of the first-round isn’t the worst idea going forward. Dragic’s been incredibly important to the Heat second unit, and 20-year old Herro may not be ready for the moment.
If not the starting point guard, then what will Kendrick Nunn’s role be?
If Tuesday comes and the starting five against the Indiana Pacers is announced and Nunn isn’t a part, it’s because coach Spoelstra went with Dragic or Herro in his place. Making for a hole within the second unit and reserves in the form of a much-needed bucket getter.
Don’t expect Nunn’s absence to be long-lived, he’ll likely be the first substitution in any instance where he isn’t starting. Despite his shooting struggles, the 26-year old is still a very capable scorer and has come up big on a number of occasions for the Heat this season.
Per NBA.com, Miami’s boasting the league’s sixth-best bench in terms of points per game this season, at 41.8 points nightly. Remember it’s Dragic who’s served as the bench captain for the Heat this year, averaging 16.2 points per game this season.
Even if you adjust the sample size to the last eight games, they’re still in the top-10 at eighth, with 45.6 points per game for non-starters. This could suggest some safety for Spoelstra should he elect to start either of Dragic or Herro and demote Nunn to the second unit.
With just three days until the start of Miami’s playoffs, we have yet to hear either way as to what coach Spoelstra is planning for his rotation. We’ll keep an eye on that in the coming days.
Kendrick Nunn’s role for this playoffs has yet to be defined, but he’ll no doubt be suiting up when the Miami Heat take on the Indiana Pacers in round one. Their first of a potentially seven-game series will be on Tuesday. Tip-off is at 4:00 pm est, and coverage will be provided by TNT.