3 early takeaways from Miami Heat’s hot start to 2019-20 NBA season

2. A pair of rookies are panning out quite nicely

During his lone collegiate season with the Kentucky Wildcats, Tyler Herro compiled averages of 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.6 minutes per contest. He shot 46.2 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from 3.

Taking into consideration his ability to knock down shots, it was easy to understand why the Miami Heat had no problem taking him at the No. 13 spot in this year’s NBA Draft.

"“We feel we’ve added depth to one of the most important positions for us as far as our backcourt goes,” Heat President Pat Riley told NBA.com. “I think Tyler has proven in his short time at Kentucky that he’s not only a great shooter, but he’s a competitor, he’s tough and he can defend. We’re very excited to have him.”"

Through the first seven games, Herro has already been used in multiple roles, as he has started and come off the bench. He has also reached double figures in five of those seven outings, including a 29-point, seven-rebound effort that helped Miami defeat the Atlanta Hawks 112-97 on Oct. 29.

Herro is the third-leading scorer on the team among the players who have appeared in all seven outings, averaging 13.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per outing. Furthermore, he is proving to be a solid floor spacer, shooting 35.3 percent from long range on 4.9 attempts per game.

Another rookie on the Heat roster who is making a name for himself is Kendrick Nunn. His road to the NBA stage is a bit different than his rookie teammate, though.

Nunn went undrafted in 2018 and spent the 2018-19 campaign in the G-League as a member of the Santa Cruz Warriors, where he averaged 19.3 points per contest. Subsequently, he earned a spot on the Heat’s Summer League roster and proceeded to sign a three-year, $3 million non-guaranteed contract.

What have the Heat gotten in return for their investment?

Well, first of all, he has started every game this season. Sure, he didn’t have a great outing in the team’s recent 129-100 win over the Rockets (five points on 2-for-10 shooting), but the previous five games, he was lights out.

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In those five contests, he scored in double figures, including a trio of 20-point outings. Not only that, but his 112 point total during that stretch was the most by any Heat player in franchise history and it was most points scored by an undrafted rookie through the first five games of a career in NBA history.

To top it off, Nunn is tied for first in scoring among NBA rookies. He is Miami’s leading scorer at 18.3 points per outing and he also leads the team in steals, with 1.7 per contest.

As is the case with most NBA rookies, Herro and Nunn will have some up and down stretches. But for a pair of guys that no one saw coming, they have the potential to be key rotational pieces going forward.