Miami Heat: Tyler Herro’s stock rises in the bubble while Kendrick Nunn’s falls

Tyler Herro’s ascension has begun in the bubble

Although Herro’s efforts weren’t enough to defeat the Suns, who have lived up to their name by being the hottest team in the NBA’s restart, his performance was outstanding nonetheless. He looked as poised as ever, not rushing shots or passes, and he only recorded two turnovers along with his game-leading mark in assists.

Herro made the most of his first start in the bubble. The young guard he started in place of, Kendrick Nunn, hasn’t come anywhere close to having a game of that caliber since the season restarted.

Nunn, who left the bubble due to personal matters and subsequently missed the games against Phoenix and Indiana, has disappointed across the first four seeding games. The undrafted rookie averaged a paltry 7.8 points on 32.4 percent shooting from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc, a stark decline from his pre-bubble stat line of 15.6 points per game on 44.8 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from deep.

The Rookie of the Year Award finalist had not averaged scoring that low in any four-game stretch in his otherwise impressive first season. Adding to his poor shooting are his six total assists compared to eight total turnovers in those four games.

Nunn, a three-time Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month, began the restart by scoring 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting in a blowout victory against the Denver Nuggets. He followed up that performance by going 2-of-13 over the next two games, which came against potential playoff opponents in the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics.

Against the Eastern Conference’s best team, the Milwaukee Bucks, Nunn shot 5-of-17 from the field. Although he converted four of his 10 attempted triples, his errant overall shooting overall was detrimental to the Heat in a game that was only a six-point contest entering the fourth quarter.