It seems like so long ago that Miami Heat rookie Kendrick Nunn became universally regarded as a difference-maker at the NBA level, but the talented neophyte will enter Sunday’s Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers hoping to deliver a reminder.
After starting 67 games for the Heat during the 2019-20 season, Nunn finished the season second in Rookie of the Year voting, ultimately losing the honor to Grizzlies sensation Ja Morant.
But, in hindsight, it appears that March’s suspension of play had the simultaneous effect of stunting Nunn’s momentum. Since then, the rookie simply hasn’t been the same. His arrival to the bubble was delayed due to him testing positive for COVID-19, while a death in his family disrupted his rhythm in Orlando.
Now, however, with Goran Dragic’s injury, Nunn has been reinserted into the Heat’s rotation.
Filling in for Dragic, Nunn will enter Game 3 having averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in the 2020 NBA Finals, and the rookie hopes to regain the trust of the team’s coaching staff and reclaim his minutes as the Heat seek to avoid an insurmountable 0-3 hole in the series.
Nunn discussed it with the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang ahead of the contest.
“Obviously I had some pretty rough days. Now it’s getting better. It just comes from sticking with it every day, putting in work, grinding, not making any excuses and just sticking to basically my routine and my style of play…
“Early in the bubble, it was just my rhythm and my timing. All that was off because I’ve been quarantined for weeks at a time, I had a death in the family that caused me to go back to Chicago and miss more time, and having to quarantine even more. So it was just knocking that rust and dust off and getting focused on the game basically.”
For head coach Erik Spoelstra, Nunn’s reinsertion into the rotation seems to have been done more out of necessity than anything else. The rookie, after all, didn’t play a single minute in any of the team’s final three games against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite the good numbers in Game 1 and Game 2 against the Lakers, he will enter play on Oct. 4 with per-game playoff averages of just 5.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Nunn, however, sees new opportunity, telling Chiang that neither the loss of his place in the rotation nor his paltry numbers have discouraged him.
After being sorely outplayed by the Lakers in each of the first two games of the Finals, the Heat need something to change for them to win Game 3.
Perhaps Nunn can be the answer.