Lakers: Kendrick Nunn Player Profile
With almost an entirely new roster and a lot of fill-in minutes in the preseason, I decided it makes sense to give a few player profiles and just some information on some of the new-look Lakers.
Kendrick Nunn is a Chicago, Illinois native. He went to high school in Chicago at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago, the same high school as Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker. He spent his first two collegiate years at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I) and played well, but Nunn was dismissed from the Illinois basketball team on May 24, 2016, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery.
After that, Nunn went to Oakland University in Michigan. His senior year he finished second in scoring to Trae Young. The best part of Nunn's story is that he went undrafted and only secured a partially guaranteed contract with the Golden State Warriors. He was released, but then played for the G-league Warrior affiliate.
Next season he signed a contract with the Miami Heat and immediately got playing time and showed his ability to score. He averaged 15.3 points a game with the Heat, in 29.3 minutes a game. He shot .350 from outside in his first season, and then .381 the next season.
Back in early August, he signed a contract with the Lakers.
Player Profile
Kendrick Nunn is a lefty. He is a good shooter both from mid-range and outside the arc. He can consistently hit shots from a catch-and-shoot but also can shoot off the dribble. He tends to be more of a volume shooter who 'heats up' so a place off the bench may be best for Nunn, where he can come in and lead a bench squad as a traditional point guard, or get hot and shoot. At 6'2, he is small for a shooting guard, so playing with another distributor on the floor (sharing time with Russell Westbrook or LeBron James) may be very helpful for Nunn. On defense, he is decent at filling the passing lane. He may not have fully developed on-ball defensive skills, but the ability and talent are there to do so.
The Lakers would be well to use Nunn off the bench as a great 2nd team scorer unless the need to put him into the starting five arises. He is certainly capable of starting in terms of talent and ability.
