Guard Kendrick Nunn, another ‘diamond in the rough’ for the Heat?
Kendrick Nunn doesn’t need to look far to find one of the Heat’s undrafted success stories. In fact, Nunn doesn’t need to look far to find the Heat’s greatest undrafted success story.
That’s because Nunn’s locker at AmericanAirlines Arena is situated next to Udonis Haslem’s locker.
“It’s awesome. I always pick his brain,” Nunn said of being so close to Haslem in the Heat’s locker room. “He gives me tips and everything. It’s great to have a guy like that beside me.”
Nunn is a 6-3 combo guard who went undrafted out of Oakland University in 2018. Haslem is a 6-8 forward who went undrafted out of Florida in 2002.
But Haslem is entering his 17th NBA season, all with the Heat. Nunn, 24, is waiting to play in his first NBA game.
Heat coaches and executives believe Nunn can join the organization’s long list of undrafted success stories, or as Nunn calls it “those diamond in the rough guys.” After the Heat signed Nunn to a non-guaranteed two-year contract on the final day of the 2018-19 regular season, he’s on track to be on the roster when the Heat opens the regular season on Oct. 23.
“That’s one of the bright spots last year, on the last day that we were able to acquire him on the last day of the season,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, as the Heat wrapped up training camp at Keiser University on Saturday in advance of its annual Red, White & Pink Game intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday at 4 p.m at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“Adam [Simon] and Chet [Kammerer] were really big fans of his and we’re fortunate to be able to get somebody of his quality. But he also was a fit with us, just in terms of the culture fit, the work ethic, the drive. There’s a long lineage of undrafted Miami Heat players that have come through our player development program, and he is the next notable one. He’s a talent and he has a great work ethic.”
Tyler Johnson, Rodney McGruder, Keith Askins, Anthony Carter and Haslem are just some of the undrafted free agents the Heat has picked up and helped turn into rotation players.
The Heat’s reputation in this department helped convince Nunn to sign a non-guaranteed deal on the final day of the 2018-19 regular season, rather than waiting and possibly finding a better contract after impressing during summer league. And Nunn sure did impress this summer with Miami, as he was named to the NBA Summer League First Team after averaging 22 points while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 38.5 percent on threes, 4.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists in six summer league games.
“Coming in, I just did a little research on the history of the Miami Heat and the guys that came through here undrafted,” Nunn said. “UD is still on the team and he was undrafted. He’s been here 17 years, so that’s awesome.
“Just knowing the type of organization and opportunity I had here. I knew the organization, they embraced guys like me that’s the underdog — undrafted guys that work hard and that are winners. Those diamond in the rough guys that they find, and I’m one of them.”
Nunn arrived to the Heat as a scorer, as he averaged 19.3 points in 49 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Warriors’ G League affiliate, last season. He spent his first professional season in the G League.
Before that, Nunn 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.
Still, Nunn wasn’t invited to the NBA Draft combine.
“I use it as motivation,” he said. “That wasn’t the first event or thing I was not invited to and counted out. I was kind of used to it. It was just motivation for me.”
Nunn has found an NBA home in Miami, though. The Heat has been impressed with Nunn’s toughness and work ethic, and there is the belief that he’s versatile enough to play both guard spots after he spent this summer working on his point guard skills.
Tyler Johnson is a name that has been used among those within the organization when discussing Nunn’s immediate potential.
“Poise, confidence, he keeps his mouth closed and ears open,” Haslem said of Nunn. “He’s just eager to learn and play the game of basketball. On both ends of the floor, he competes. Not just offense, he competes defensively, as well. Another Chicago kid, man. I like him.”
Why does the Heat have a history of finding undrafted players who end up sticking around?
“Some people just don’t want to do the work. It’s a tedious process,” Haslem said, referring to scouting under-the-radar players. “There are a lot of undrafted free agents. There are a lot of guys out there that want an opportunity. This organization does the work. They dig down, they dig deep and they find those diamonds in the rough.”
