Tag: Kendrick Nunn

Kendrick Nunn apologizes to Lakers fans for not playing yet

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn issued a statement for not playing yet during the regular season.

With the Los Angeles Lakers struggling to go above .500, the team has had two players missing: Anthony Davis and Kendrick Nunn.

Davis has not played since Dec. 17 after spraining his MCL but is likely returning soon. However, it is not yet known when Nunn will return.

Nunn has not played since the preseason. He was about to return from an ankle injury when L.A. labeled him out with a bone bruise in his knee; he was also in health and safety protocol for a short duration.

There was hope Nunn would be back sometime in January, but he had a setback while taking on an increased load in individual workouts.

Nunn took to Twitter to issue an apology to the fans:

Lake Show I promise I want to be out there helping my team. Stay patient with me. This process has been just as frustrating for me. I’ll return as soon as I’m healthy! It’ll be worth the wait.

https://twitter.com/nunnbetter_/status/1484316740666343426

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Kendrick Nunn’s debut with Lakers delayed after injury setback

Some unfortunate news for Los Angeles Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn.

The Los Angeles Lakers received unfortunate news regarding the status of Kendrick Nunn.

Nunn, who has been ramping up his activity as part of his return from the bone bruise, had a setback, delaying his debut with the Lakers even further. Nunn has not played since the preseason, and L.A. had signed him to a two-year deal this summer worth the full mid-level exception of $10 million.

Head coach Frank Vogel revealed prior to Monday’s contest against the Utah Jazz that Nunn’s knee, where the bone bruise occurred, did not respond well after doing more intense workouts to prepare his body for the speed of the NBA (h/t: @MikeTrudell of Spectrum SportsNet):

Nunn was expected to help the Lakers’ offense with his secondary scoring and creating ability, including his 3-point shooting. However, Vogel did not provide a timetable for when Nunn could return.

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Frank Vogel says Kendrick Nunn will play a ton of minutes upon return

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel gave some insight on Kendrick Nunn’s potential role when he returns from injury.

The Los Angeles Lakers have dealt with plenty of injuries this season, but the only player who hasn’t played yet is Kendrick Nunn.

Nunn and Trevor Ariza were out for the first few months of the season due to lower-leg injuries, but Ariza recently returned.

Nunn has been ruled out with a knee injury since playing a few games in the preseason. His return should bolster the Lakers’ depth considering they signed him to a two-year deal worth $10 million, the most expensive signing this summer.

It’s still not clear when Nunn will return, but prior to Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, head coach Frank Vogel gave some insight on what Nunn’s role could look like.

“I have an idea, but it still really is all to still be played out,” Vogel said. “Kendrick is going to get a ton of minutes when he gets back healthy. It’s going to be at the expense of somebody else, at least for the time being to see how he fits in our system alongside our stars, and all that stuff will play out.”

Nunn, 26, is primarily a score-first guard capable of handling the ball as a secondary creator. If he’s going to take someone else’s minutes, that’ll be a tough decision.

The guards L.A. uses are Russell Westbrook, Avery Bradley, Malik Monk, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves. Wayne Ellington hasn’t been in the rotation lately.

All five of them have a reason to stay: Westbrook is the star. Bradley is the key perimeter defender. Monk has been on fire as of late. Horton-Tucker is the team’s highly paid young star. Reaves is a high-IQ glue guy who meshes well with the stars.

However this plays out, Vogel has to make a difficult choice.

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Frank Vogel, Kent Bazemore enter health and safety protocol; Kendrick Nunn cleared

The Los Angeles Lakers announced more updates regarding the status of the head coach and two players.

The Los Angeles Lakers have more personnel entering the NBA’s health and safety protocol prior to Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bulls.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel and veteran wing Kent Bazemore are the two new members of the team that are out, via Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.

That means Bazemore will not get the start against Chicago. He started at small forward against the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday, but now there’s another hole on the roster.

Assistant coach David Fizdale will be the team’s acting head coach while Vogel is out.

The other news involved Kendrick Nunn. Nunn had entered protocol a few days ago but was cleared Sunday, via Trudell. Nunn, however, will still be out due to a knee injury he suffered early in the season and has yet to make his debut.

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Lakers’ Kendrick Nunn unlikely to return by end of December

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel revealed Kendrick Nunn’s status as he recovers from a bone bruise in his knee.

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Kendrick Nunn to a two-year deal worth the full MLE over the summer, but the team’s highest-paid free agent has yet to play this season.

Nunn originally dealt with an ankle sprain that emerged during the preseason but ended up dealing with a bone bruise in his knee while recovering.

READ: Kendrick Nunn says Lakers will run L.A. when he returns from injury

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was asked during his media session Monday if Nunn would return by the end of December.

“Probably not,” Vogel said. “But there’s no firm timeline on that. We’ll see. I’ll say probably not.”

Nunn averaged 14.6 points per game last season with the Miami Heat while shooting 48.5% overall and 38.1% from deep, so his presence will unlock a new element to the Lakers’ offense whenever he heals.

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Kendrick Nunn says Lakers will run L.A. when he returns from injury

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn told L.A. Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein his return will change who the best team in the city is.

The city rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and L.A. Clippers had another installment Friday as the two teams squared off in a close contest.

Though the Clippers didn’t have Kawhi Leonard, the Paul George-led squad never trailed and won, 119-115.

The loss pushed the Lakers back to .500 and continued the trend of the Clippers claiming victory in the Battle of L.A.

After the game, Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein, who put up 11 points and one block off the bench, posted on Instagram about the win. Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn commented on the post, saying his return will change who runs the city (h/t: @LakersFiles):

The Lakers and Clippers next face off on Feb. 3, which should be enough time for Nunn to make his debut from a bone bruise in his knee.

The Lakers signed him to a two-year deal worth the full mid-level exception this summer, making him the highest-paid free agent L.A. signed not counting extensions.

Nunn spent the last two seasons with the Miami Heat with whom he broke out as an undrafted rookie. Last season, he posted 14.6 points per game while shooting 48.5% overall and 38.1% from deep. The Lakers could surely use his presence as soon as possible, especially before the next battle of L.A.

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Lakers’ Kendrick Nunn to be evaluated in 2-3 weeks with knee injury

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn is the latest member of the team to be out multiple weeks with an injury.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn has a knee injury and will be evaluated in 2-to-3 weeks, head coach Frank Vogel said after Thursday’s practice.

Nunn, who was originally nursing an ankle injury, had imaging done when he felt soreness. The imaging revealed a bone bruise on his right knee.

Nunn is the latest Laker to be out multiple weeks with an injury. Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker are each out, and Wayne Ellington will miss Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers signed Nunn to a two-year deal worth the full taxpayer MLE of over $10 million, so he marked L.A.’s most expensive signing of the summer.

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Lakers news: Frank Vogel provides injury updates on Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, Wayne Ellington

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel discussed Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn and Wayne Ellington’s status for the regular-season opener.

The Los Angeles Lakers have already begun dealing with various injuries before the regular season has started.

In addition to Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker, who recently underwent surgeries, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn and Wayne Ellington missed the final games of the preseason due to injuries.

As the regular-season opener against the Golden State Warriors approaches Tuesday, head coach Frank Vogel provided injury updates on Monk, Nunn and Ellington after Sunday’s practice.

“We still don’t know how they’re going to be listed, but Kendrick did participate in practice along with Malik, and Wayne did not,” Vogel said. “Obviously, we’ll see how Kendrick responds to the work today before we decide his availability, him and Malik.”

It’s good news for the Lakers to have Nunn and Malik back on the floor. Monk was seen in a social media post dunking in practice, which could indicate he’s feeling good after dealing with a groin strain.

Both Nunn and Monk diversify the Lakers’ offensive attack, so having their shooting and creating abilities against a solid Golden State defense would be imperative.

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Winners and losers from the Lakers’ 2021-22 preseason

Ranking members of the Los Angeles Lakers as a winner or loser based on how they performed in the preseason.

The Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up the 2021-22 preseason with a dismaying 0-6 record.

The context differed in every game as the Lakers had to shuffle the rotation frequently because of injuries or rest allotted to the new star trio in LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.

But the preseason also presents an opportunity for rotational players and fringe players to compete for a roster spot or a chance at being a rotational fixture with the stars.

Before injuries derailed their preseason, Malik Monk and Talen Horton-Tucker were two emerging guards that impressed through three games.

But other players couldn’t take advantage of the battle for minutes.

Here are some winners and losers for the Lakers after the preseason:

LeBron James names three Lakers who have stood out in practice

Three players have picked up the Los Angeles Lakers’ system fairly quickly, says LeBron James.

The Los Angeles Lakers have 11 new players on the guaranteed roster for next season, so learning the system is a priority for the team.

Only LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Talen Horton-Tucker return from last season’s roster. Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard are familiar with how head coach Frank Vogel and company like to operate.

It puts the Lakers in an interesting position entering the new season because most of the other contenders return their core intact. The Lakers need to sort out who the core players are.

The days leading up to the season opener usually foreshadows that, and during the first few days of practice, James noted three players who have emerged thus far.

“I would say K. Nunn (Kendrick Nunn), Baze (Kent Bazemore) and DJ [DeAndre Jordan].”

Nunn is coming off two solid seasons with the Miami Heat as a scoring-minded guard who can set players up for shots. He can space the floor or drive to the rim, giving L.A. an extra scoring option.

Bazemore should have a prominent role given his 3-and-D status on the squad. He made over 40% of his 3s last season and is arguably the best defensive wing.

Jordan will likely compete with Howard for bench minutes, but to see him emerge in the eyes of James could see Jordan playing more at center with Davis at power forward.

The more practices the team has, the more players will stand out.

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