If they haven’t already, NBA fans from all over are getting familiar with the name Kendrick Nunn. The rookie for the Heat has gone off in his first few games, and it’s nothing close to what we expected of him. Now this is still very early in the season, and it’s likely that he will settle down at least a little bit. However, Nunn’s hot start has been a great thing to watch. Averaging 22.4 points in his first 5 career games is a great feat for a draft pick at the top of the class, but with the way Nunn got in to the league it seems much more special.
Kendrick Nunn’s path to the NBA is not what we would call conventional. He began his college career at the University of Illinois. He played for three seasons there and then he faced a big setback to his career. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge in 2016. He was then dismissed from the Illliois basketball program and transferred to Oakland University not too long after. He played for one season at Oakland and won the Horizon League Player of the Year. He would then declare for the 2018 NBA Draft, where he would ultimately go undrafted.
Kendrick played with the Warrios summer league team, and then was signed by the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G-League affiliate. He averaged just under 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in his lone season in the G-League. This past offseason, Nunn was signed by the Miami Heat. He shined in the summer league and has gotten off to a blazing hot start in his first few NBA games.
Does the hot start continue? Only time will tell, but there could be a very good player on our hands that nobody was expecting. Nunn is adding to the list of quality NBA players who went to the G-League first. The G-League has become much more vital to player development, and sometimes starting there before going right to the NBA is the best thing to do. Seems like it worked out just fine for Kendrick Nunn. How Nunn got to the NBA is not the way we often see, but he’s making the most of it now that he’s in the league. Kendrick Nunn could be a name to remember for a long time.