Miami Heat: Kendrick Nunn a bright spot amidst a tough season

Entering the 2020-21 NBA season, Kendrick Nunn was somewhat of an afterthought for the Miami Heat.

Despite finishing second overall in Rookie of the Year voting, Nunn’s debut season was severely derailed by the COVID pandemic delaying the season. Following the delay, Nunn’s return to the lineup was further interrupted by a combination of a positive COVID test and some separate personal issues that forced him to leave the bubble in Orlando for a short period. As a result, Nunn wound up losing his starting spot to Goran Dragic for the ensuing long playoff campaign, while also falling behind fellow rookie Tyler Herro in the overall rotation.

Thus fast-forwarding to this season, and it was a popular notion that Nunn was not expected to be a featured part of the rotation. And this rang true in the early proceedings, with Nunn averaging 5.5 points in just 14.3 minutes per game in his first six appearances. But due to a combination of the unfortunate Covid protocols and a series of injuries, Nunn has seen his opportunities jump exponentially.

The consistent play of guard Kendrick Nunn has provided a tremendous boost to the Miami Heat during their tough start to the season

Over his past 12 games, Nunn has averaged 17.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. Notably, Nunn’s 49.1 percent clip from the field during this stretch has been a highlight, with his ability to score from a variety of spots on the floor a key component of his revival.

One particular area in which Nunn has improved from his rookie campaign has been his finishing around the rim. Having shot at a 59.8 percent clip in the restricted area last season, Nunn has ramped that up to one excellent 70.9 percent return this season. Additionally, Nunn has certainly made notable strides at the defensive end of the floor.

Just recently, head coach Erik Spoelstra was full of praise for the manner in which Nunn has responded:

"“K. Nunn has incredible competitive character. He really does. He has a grit and a perseverance to him that not only do you have confidence that he’ll be able to respond with this kind of adversity, but you respect him so much that you’re, like, really rooting for him, and you really want it of him. It was great just to see all the work that nobody else does see behind the scenes. He just grinds and works at it every day….We needed playmaking. We needed scoring.”"

While somewhat limited at just 6’2″, Nunn’s propensity to dig in defensively has started to deliver some positive results. Averaging 1.2 steals per game for the season, Nunn has averaged 5.5 deflections and 3.5 steals over his past two games, thus providing coach Spoelstra with something additional to Nunn’s primary role as a scorer.

Thus far, the Heat have posted a 1-1 record on their current daunting seven-game, west coast road trip. With Goran Dragic still yet to join the team for the trip, Nunn’s minutes and opportunities appear set to continue for the near future.

So with the Miami Heat currently holding an 11-15 record and entering a somewhat pivotal part of their season, they are certainly going to be banking on the recent production of Kendrick Nunn to continue for the foreseeable future.