Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nnn didn’t win the Rookie of the Year award, but he was shown respect by the voters and the ultimate outcome.
At one point in the season, the Miami Heat looked like they’d be boasting the Rookie of the Year in undrafted guard Kendrick Nunn. That’s before Ja Morant took the league by storm, pushing the Memphis Grizzlies to a 34-39 record and two victories short of making the playoffs.
Nunn put on a strong rookie year, especially for someone who went undrafted back in 2018. He finished the regular season averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Nunn was Miami’s fixture at starting point guard until a positive COVID-19 test delayed his arrival into Orlando, Florida and veteran Goran Dragic usurped him in the rotation. His being among the top three finalists for Rookie of the Year was never in question until Zion Williamson happened.
The first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson didn’t make his debut until January of 2020. He tore his right meniscus in a Summer League game and underwent surgery in October.
But when Williamson did make his debut, he was every bit as dominant as we saw in his lone season as a member of the Duke University Blue Devils. He finished the regular season having played just 24 games, with averages of 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.
Suddenly, chatter was surfacing tat Williamson may have played his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation. After only 24 games? Over Morant and Nunn? Blasphemous.
Williamson was named among the three finalists for the award back in the first week of August. But when the Rookie of the Year votes were released on Thursday, it was Nunn who came in second to Morant, not the New Orleans Pelicans cornerstone.
Ja Morant received 99 of 100 first place votes for Rookie of the Year.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 3, 2020
Kendrick Nunn finished second. Zion Williamson third. pic.twitter.com/abrG2kka2G
Miami’s point guard received no votes for first place, 56 votes for second place, and 36 votes for third place, tallying 204 points. Morant finished with 498, and Williamson with 140 total.
It’s a sign of respect to Nunn and rationale from the voters. The Heat guard played over twice as many games as Williamson and was a starter for a playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
For voters to have given Zion Williamson second place for this award over Kendrick Nunn would not have been a snub. The Miami Heat would have considered it a robbery.
A championship would certainly serve as compensation for losing out on the Rookie of the Year award. Kendrick Nunn and the Miami Heat will continue their push for a Finals appearance on Friday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of the series.
Tip-off is slated for 6:30 pm EST, and coverage will be provided by TNT and TNT Overtime.