Miami Heat's Kendrick Nunn Next in Line if Goran Dragic is Unable to Return During NBA Finals

Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn only averaged 7.3 minutes in the Eastern Conference finals and did not play in the last three games of the series.

After the decline in playing time, he was back in the fold against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Nunn had 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting in 20 minutes in the Heat's 116-98 loss. He was called upon after Goran Dragic left in the second quarter because of a foot injury.

"I'm always ready to play," Nunn said. "When your number is called, you've got to be ready to play. I haven't played in a couple games but that doesn't mean anything. Once I step on the floor, I'm back at it like I've been playing. I've always had that mentality and I always stay ready."

With Dragic's status in question the remainder of the series, Nunn could become an important factor if the Heat are going to turn it around. The Heat are expected to evaluate Dragic after Thursday's practice.

"You're always rooting for him," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "This has been a tough playoffs for him. These are the humans sides. You want to get him in there. You want him to play well. Based on where we are, we could use some scoring punch. You have to guard him. He's very skilled. We'll see where we are for the next game."

Nunn, who went undrafted in 2018, has experienced the highs and lows this season. He played well enough to finish second in the Rookie of the Year voting but was benched during the NBA restart. Nunn also missed the first two weeks of training camp after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and left the bubble for another week to tend a personal matter.

"We've been in the bubble for almost three months now," Nunn said. "I've had plenty time to get well. I've just been working every day, just adding those good days on top of each other. I feel good."

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