Less than one week into the Los Angeles Lakers’ training camp, guard Kendrick Nunn is apparently drawing rave reviews after missing last season due to injury.
Nunn was signed by the Lakers as a free agent last year, but a nagging bone bruise in his right knee never healed well enough to return him to the court. Now, he’s an early contender to start the regular season opener.
Fellow guard Austin Reaves noted Nunn’s performance during a Friday practice which showed that Nunn’s shooting touch is in midseason form.
“Kendrick today was killing,” said guard Austin Reaves on Friday. “I don’t think he missed a shot all day.”
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham also added to the praise over Nunn’s early efforts, citing the guard’s coachability when it comes to making adjustments.
“It’s almost like he’s a new player, he’s a free agent for us,” Ham said. “So, I told him he’s going to be a big part of what I’m trying to do and he’s embraced it and you can tell by his play thus far.”
Nunn was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Golden State Warriors in 2018, but was released three months later.
In April 2019, Nunn was then signed to a multiyear deal by the Miami Heat, who have developed a reputation for getting the most out of their players.
During his two seasons with the Heat, Nunn was a regular presence in their starting lineup, starting 111 of the 123 games he played in during those campaigns. That included starting all of the 67 contests during his rookie season.
On the court, Nunn averaged 15.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. From the field, he connected on 45.8 percent of his shots, including hitting at a 36.4 percent rate from beyond the arc.
The Lakers’ backcourt has been an area of concern for the past few years. Those issues have led them to make deals in each of the past two seasons for Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley, respectively.
Like Nunn, Beverley has yet to play in an official game for the Lakers, but offers the team an aggressive defender.
Westbrook was thought to be a key piece of the puzzle that would help the Lakers make a deep playoff run. Those visions quickly became clouded when chemistry issues and key injuries turned last year into disaster.
Of course, one week of preseason practice doesn’t automatically translate into regular season success. Still, the Lakers may end up being the beneficiaries of Nunn’s comeback, with the words of Reaves and Ham possibly offering a glimpse of the near future.
