Lakers News: Kendrick Nunn Has a Message for LA Fans
Plenty of things went sideways for the Lakers last season. Anthony Davis missed more games than he played due to injury. LeBron James dealt with injuries of his own in November, January, and March, despite putting up the second-highest scoring average of his career (30.3 PPG). The bench, that featured mainly over-the-hill veterans didn't provide much support, and Kendrick Nunn, one of the few younger players on the roster, didn't play a single game all year due to a knee injury.
As the calendar turned to January, fans received frequent updates about Nunn inching closer to a return. However, each time Nunn "ramped up his basketball activity", the bone bruise in his knee didn't respond well. By early March, it was forgone conclusion that he wasn't going to log a single minute for the Lakers.
Nunn opted into the final year of his contract this offseason ($5.25M) and in an interview with Spectrum SportsNet's Chris "Geeter" McGee, Nunn told fans what they can expect this coming season after a disappointing year from Nunn.
“They should expect consistency. That’s my number one thing. Coming in, night in, night out, and bring and be consistent on both ends of the floor.”
Nunn's knee injury (bone bruise) was the reason the Lakers were able to sign him with their taxpayer mid-level exception last summer, and the gamble was a bust in the first year.
However, the talented Nunn, who can provide playmaking and efficient scoring off the bench, could be a valuable rotation piece this coming season.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin discussed the guard's upside in a recent article.
"Nunn could get the chance to be the change-of-pace combo guard L.A. thought it acquired in the first place. But we have to see how the Lakers' roster shakes out the rest of this summer to accurately project what type of role Nunn could reasonably fill."
Both Nunn and the Lakers need to flip the script this coming season, and from what it sounds like, the guard is well aware of the expectation.
