Heat’s can’t-miss rookie starting to
PHOENIX The can’t-miss rookie revelation is starting to miss.
In other words, perhaps only now is Kendrick Nunn enduring his NBA initiation.
After scoring at least 17 points in each of his first five appearances, Nunn has scored a total of 16 over the past two games, on 6-of-24 shooting.
To Nunn and his Miami Heat teammates, it merely is the duality of NBA life.
“How many games we have left? Seventy-five? I’m willing to make you a bet that it won’t be the last tough shooting night that he has,” teammate Jimmy Butler said after Nunn closed 4 of 14 from the field and 2 of 8 on 3-pointers in an 11-point outing in Tuesday night’s 109-89 loss to the Denver
Center.
“It’s part of the league. You can’t make shots every single night, but you can do other things to help your team win. I think he’ll figure that out very soon.”
To Nunn, who went undrafted out of Oakland University in 2018 and spent last season in the G League, it was a matter of previous makes this time turning into misses, not a fundamental concern about a league catching on.
“I think I’m taking great shots,” he said, as the Heat turned their attention to Thursday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. “I think they are great shots, shots that I can make.”
Nunn announced his arrival with a 24-point performance in
Nuggets at
Pepsi a victory against the visiting Memphis Grizzles on opening night. From there, 25- and 28-point performances would follow. Then came a 2-of-10 struggle that largely went overlooked in the Heat’s blowout victory Sunday night over the Houston Rockets at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Now the question is whether the NBA scouting system has upped the ante.
“I don’t feel a huge difference, but some possessions they might blitz a little harder than others,” the 6-foot-2 guard said. “But I still feel I can play in my game.” So does Butler.
“We want him to stay aggressive, stay sharp and know that he’s a really good player,” Butler said. “We want him to continue to be aggressive, along with everybody else in the locker room.”