Heat guard Kendrick Nunn earns second NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honor
Another month, another award for Kendrick Nunn.
The NBA announced Thursday that the Miami Heat guard was named the Eastern Conference NBA Rookie of the Month for December. Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant earned the same honor for the Western Conference.
Having won the award in October/November, Nunn became the first undrafted player in NBA history to be honored multiple times. He’s also the second Heat rookie to earn the recognition more than once, trailing only Caron Butler’s four.
Nunn started the month slow with 11 points and three assists on 33 percent shooting against the Brooklyn Nets. He quickly got back on track and finished December with averages of 15.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds with a 41.8 field-goal percentage.
He also became the fastest rookie in franchise history to reach 500 points, doing so in one fewer game than Dwyane Wade (32). Additionally, Nunn’s point total through December (528) ranks second among undrafted NBA players since 1966.
Compared to other rookies, Nunn entered Thursday second in scoring average (16), second in assists per game (3.5) and third in minutes per game (30.7). He’s also tied for seventh in free-throw percentage (78.8), eighth in field-goal percentage (44.7) and 10th in three-point field-goal percentage (35).
While Nunn’s play has certainly earned the outside recognition, it has been his approach to the game that has impressed his teammates.
“How he’s playing the game and how calm he is, playing at his own pace,” Heat guard Goran Dragic replied when asked what impressed him about Nunn’s start to the season. “You see what he can do on the floor. He can score a lot. He just gives us that calmness. He can get to any point of the floor he wants.”
