Summer off to strong start for Kendrick Nunn. Here’s what Heat wants to see from the guard
Kendrick Nunn arrived to the Heat as a scorer.
Before signing with the Heat on the final day of the 2018-19 regular season, Nunn averaged 19.3 points in 49 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Warriors’ G League affiliate.
Before that, the 6-3 combo guard averaged 25.9 points as a redshirt senior at Oakland University, finishing as the runner-up to then-Oklahoma and now Hawks guard Trae Young for the NCAA scoring title in 2017-18.
And Nunn hasn’t disappointed to begin his summer league stint with the Heat this year, with 21 points in Wednesday’s 73-65 win over the Warriors at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center. It closed the Heat’s three-game stay in the California Classic, where it posted an undefeated 3-0 record.
Nunn’s latest performance comes just a day after he finished with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists in Tuesday’s win over the Kings. He was held out of Monday’s victory over the Lakers.
The 23-year-old Nunn averaged a team-high 24 points on 42.9 percent shooting from the field and 7-of-15 shooting on threes, to go with three rebounds and three assists in his two Sacramento summer games.
“He has the potential to be like a Lou Williams,” Heat summer league coach Eric Glass said of Nunn. “I’m not saying he’s going to be the sixth man of the year. But that combo guard off the bench that can play off the ball, that can play on the ball. He’s going to to need to know how to do all of that if he’s going to want to stick in the NBA.”
But the Heat knows Nunn has the ability to score at all three levels — behind the three-point line, in the mid-range and in the paint. Now, Miami wants to know if he can defend at an NBA level.
Defense could prove to be the deciding factor in whether Nunn makes the Heat’s 15-man roster this upcoming season. The Chicago native is on a partially guaranteed $1.4 million standard contract for 2019-20, with $50,000 guaranteed.
The next guarantee date for Nunn is Aug. 1, when he will receive an additional $100,000 if he’s not waived by then.
“No. 1 is always going to be defense,” Glass said when asked what the next step is for Nunn. “If you can’t guard your position, you’re not going to be able to play for us at summer league or with the main team. That’s the first part. Then his playmaking, because he’s such a scoring threat and he draws so much attention. When they get two guys on the ball, he has to be able to make plays for his teammates. That’s the part that he’s learning. The scoring comes naturally to him, that stuff comes easy to him.”
With first-round pick Tyler Herro still waiting to sign his rookie deal, Nunn is one of three players on the Heat’s summer roster with a standard contract. Forward Yante Maten and Duncan Robinson are the other two.
The Heat can switch Nunn over to a two-way contract, but he would have to be waived prior to his Aug. 1 guarantee date. However, before Miami can offer Nunn a two-way deal in this scenario, it would have to expose him to the waiver wire and risk losing him to another team.
“It’s the next thing in front of me, so I’m embracing it,” Nunn said of his contract status. “I’m embracing the challenge and I’m going to go out and do what I do.”
▪ Herro started cold Wednesday, but finished with 20 points on 7-of-21 shooting from the field and 2-of-11 shooting on threes, five rebounds and two assists. He scored 13 on 4-of-7 shooting in the fourth quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter, Herro showed off his competitiveness when he dribbled the ball up court against pressure defense before spinning past his man and making an open mid-range jumper. Immediately after hitting the shot, Herro turned to his defender and had some words for him.
“When somebody challenges him, some people go the other way and get in a shell. This kid rises,” Glass said. “I love that about him. Obviously, that’s what coach Riley and the front office saw in him. That competitiveness, that Miami Heat DNA. That’s probably the biggest reasons we drafted him.”
▪ Maten finished Wednesday’s win with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds. He averaged 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in his two Sacramento summer league games.
▪ Heat forward Duncan Robinson and guard Charles Cooke were held out of Wednesday’s game. Miami decided to rest Robinson, who played in the team’s first two summer league games. Cooke’s absence was due to a head injury suffered in Tuesday’s win over the Lakers, as he’s currently in the concussion protocol.
▪ The Heat’s summer squad continues to play without 2019 second-round pick Stanford forward KZ Okpala, who is not part of the roster yet because of NBA rules that prevent Miami from completing — or discussing — his draft-night acquisition until Saturday. The expectation is that he’ll play for the Heat’s summer league team at some point in Las Vegas once his acquisition is finalized.
▪ The Heat now moves on to the Las Vegas summer league, which begins for Miami with a Friday matchup against the Chinese national team at 5:30 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPNU.
The Heat will play four opening-round games in Las Vegas (vs. China on Friday at 5:30 p.m., vs. Jazz on Sunday at 8 p.m., vs. Magic on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and vs. Timberwolves on July 10 at 7 p.m.).
This story was originally published July 3, 2019 at 4:51 PM.
