Should Kendrick Nunn keep his role even if Oladipo returns? ‘You guys see how I produce’
Kendrick Nunn has ridden a roller coaster of playing time and rotation spots throughout his still-young career with the Miami Heat, and his place in the rotation was once again on the day Victor Oladipo finally joined the Heat.
Oladipo debuted April 1 and Nunn spent the entire game glued to the bench and it was the same situation for the next three games, until Oladipo pulled up with a right knee injury April 8. The wing hasn’t played since and Miami has fought desperately to stay afloat.
Nunn has been instrumental in the Heat’s efforts. After falling out of the rotation for four games, the guard immediately returned to the starting lineup April 11 and has started 10 of 11 games since, only missing one because of a neck injury. He feels he’s ensured his spot in the rotation even if Oladipo returns at some point this year.
“You guys see how I produce when I’m on the floor,” Nunn said. “That should speak enough on my performance and how I can contribute to winning.”
It’s not a decision coach Erik Spoelstra will need to make imminently, though. Oladipo will not travel with Miami (33-30) for its two-game road trip this weekend, which begins Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8 p.m. in Cleveland.
Tyler Herro is also not traveling. Fellow guard Gabe Vincent is probable to play Saturday.
Nunn, who’s averaging 29.2 minutes per game since Oladipo’s injury, will once again be asked to play a key role for the Heat when it faces the Cavaliers (21-41) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, then wraps up the road trip Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets.
“He has quietly improved this year,” Spoelstra said. “It’s really a credit to his commitment.”
As for Oladipo, Spoelstra declined to provide any significant update on the two-time All-Star, not even saying whether he’s doing on-court work with coaches.
With two days off ahead of the weekend back-to-back, Miami practiced Friday for the first time since April 10 and Spoelstra didn’t say whether Oladipo took part.
“I don’t have a new update,” he said. “We basically just did film and walkthrough stuff, player development. I will say he is making progress.”
With the Heat still sitting in play-in position based on a tiebreaker, this could be a pivotal weekend. Miami is tied with the sixth-place Boston Celtics, one game behind the fifth-place Atlanta Hawks, two games behind the fourth-place New York Knicks and 2 1/2 games ahead of the eighth-place Hornets.
The Heat is 5-6 since Oladipo’s injury and 5-5 in games Nunn plays, with the 25-year-old averaging 16.2 points and 3.1 assists per game, while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three-point range.
All those marks are significantly better than his season averages. After getting yanked in and out of the rotation for the first 52 of the season, Nunn is thriving with a more solidified role.
“I’m just a different type of player, man,” Nunn said. “It’s harder than it looks to be physically and mentally tough to be in that position and come out every day and still produce and help your team win.”
Nunn is doing it while attempting fewer shots per game than he did last season, when he finished as the runner-up for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Instead, he’s attempting more three-pointers, becoming a more willing passer and contributing to more winnings minutes.
Nunn’s usage rate is down to 20.9 percent from 24.1 last year. His net plus-minus is up to plus-1.3 per game from minus-3.3. He’s making nearly 10 percent more of his shots off assists this year.
Nunn burst onto the scene last year because of his individual scoring ability and difficult shot-making. He has become more valuable this year because he fits better into a team concept.
“His experience on the court have forced him — or allowed him — to grow,” Spoelstra said. “He’s able to understand when to be assertive, when to be aggressive, when we want him really looking at the rim and then when the right read is to facilitate or to provide spacing. I think all of those things really have improved.”
Nunn is set to hit free agency after the season and playing some of the best basketball of his career.
He said he’s not thinking about the offseason, but he’s putting himself in position to be a coveted player in the summer.
“I’m still focused and locked in on the now and that’s putting us in good position for the playoff run,” Nunn said. “I’m still learning, still finding new ways to contribute and to put my fingerprints on the game, defensively and offensively.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 3:25 PM.
