A look at the Miami Heat and the dice roll of changing roles
A Rookie of the Year finalist, Kendrick Nunn is now fighting for playing time.
Look, Kendrick Nunn‘s rookie season has been tough. But it was never guaranteed.
Nunn joined the Miami Heat after going undrafted in 2018, and a stint with the Golden State Warriors’ G-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. He didn’t let that deter his drive, however, and he was rewarded with the starting point guard job in South Beach ahead of Goran Dragic.
But a positive COVID-19 test halted Nunn’s successes, forcing him to arrive late inside the bubble, joining the team for their third “preseason” game ahead of the restart. By then, his starting job was already in jeopardy, based on conditioning and health alone.
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Nunn played in, and started, five of the eight seeding games. But he struggled largely with his shot, seemingly incapable of finding the bottom of the net on a consistent basis. The rookie guard finished the regular season averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game.
It’s resulted in a less-than confident bench contributor version of Nunn. When head coach Erik Spoelstra called on him in Game 3, he wasn’t ready to serve as an answer to their scoring woes.
Thus, we find an example of a risk that was worth taking but has produced negative side effects. But in the same sense, Kendrick Nunn’s absence has provided the Miami Heat a boost…