Former G-Leaguer Kendrick Nunn Already Looks Like a Complete Steal for the Heat
By Chris Pyo
Kendrick Nunn showed flashes of his brilliance this preseason, but still no one would have expected him to take the league by storm quite like this.
Given a boost in minutes while Jimmy Butler is away from the team, Nunn has the Heat loving every second he's on the court. And the former G-Leaguer is already making some history in the league.
So far, Nunn has averaged 21 points on 51.4% shooting from the field en route to setting a Heat record for most points scored by a rookie in his first three NBA games.
25 PTS | 4 REB | 5 ?#GLeagueAlum Kendrick Nunn is off to a ? start to his @NBA career
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) October 28, 2019
✅ @MiamiHEAT franchise-record for PTS scored by a rookie in 1st 3 @NBA games (67)@nunnbetter_ averaged 19.3 PPG with the @GLeagueWarriors during the 2018-19 #NBAGLeague season ? pic.twitter.com/agUWjK9YkR
Nunn previously played for the Golden State Warriors' G-League affiliate after starring in college for the University of Illinois and Oakland University. However, he wasn't able to crack the Warriors' NBA roster, and was subsequently released by the Warriors and signed by the Heat.
He averaged 19.3 points per game in the G-League last year, and has not slowed down since stepping up a level in competition.
How did Warriors (who’s bench is thin - that’s being kind) let Kendrick Nunn (who was on their G-League team) get away?
— Jorge Sedano (@Sedano) October 28, 2019
Nunn's looking like a huge bargain for the Heat at the moment as he continues to solidify his place in the rotation, especially after Dion Waiters' inability to control his social media activity.
If he continues to play like this, Erik Spoelstra may have no choice but to slot Nunn in the starting lineup alongside Butler when he comes back.