Rookie Review: Strong start has Rui Hachimura among top rookies
By Max Rayman
Kendrick Nunn
Un-drafted
Despite being the second-highest scorer in college (25.9) for the 2017-2018 season, Kendrick Nunn went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. He played for the Golden State Warriors G League team before being cut. The Miami Heat added Nunn to their summer league team roster a few months back and since then, he has surpassed all expectations. The undrafted rookie phenom leads all rookies in scoring as he is averaging 18.3 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting and 40.9 percent from three. He is also averaging 3.1 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
Nunn has already set an NBA record as he became the highest-scoring un-drafted rookie through the first five games. He also set a Heat franchise record for most points scored through a player’s first three games with the team. So more points in his first three Heat games than Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Chris Bosh had. That’s a pretty impressive list to be atop of.
Teams are already kicking themselves for missing out on Nunn’s scoring prowess, as they should be. He is providing star Jimmy Butler with some much-needed scoring help. Hel that allowed the Heat to beat the Milwaukee Bucks without Butler on the floor.
Next. Now Healthy, Troy Brown is ready to make an IMPACT. dark
Nunn is a diamond in the rough, the exact type of player you’d expect the Miami Heat to find. Lucky for them, he’s not their only impressive rookie. Tyler Herro, who they took 13th overall, has also come on strong in the early stages of his rookie year.