One of the Los Angeles Lakers’ big free agent acquisitions last summer was Kendrick Nunn as the former Miami Heat guard signed for the taxpayer midlevel exception with a majority of the rest of the roster being minimum signings.
Unfortunately for Nunn and the Lakers, they never got to see how that signing worked out as Nunn suffered a bone bruise in his knee during training camp that wound up forcing him to miss the entire 2021-22 season.
Going into this offseason, there was a ton of uncertainty surrounding what the Lakers’ roster would look like. One thing that was certain though was that Nunn would be on it unless he gets traded as he announced during his exit interview that picking up his player option for the 2022-23 season was a ‘no-brainer’ after sitting out all of last year.
After another offseason in which the Lakers were basically limited to minimum signings, they will be counting on Nunn to contribute greatly in 2022-23, perhaps even in the starting lineup.
For that to happen though, Nunn will need to be healthy and ready to go, so it’s good to see that he revealed that is the case in an interview with Chris McGee on Spectrum SportsNet:
“I feel great. I feel 100%, to be honest. Back to where I’m normally playing at a high level.”
Nunn added that this is the best he’s felt since the 2020-21 season with the Heat:
“It’s been a while. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this good. Maybe since I was playing back in the last season I was playing.”
When healthy, Nunn has been a very productive player in his short NBA career, averaging 15.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists with the Heat while shooting 36.4% from 3-point range.
The Lakers will need that type of production from Nunn this season if they want to get back into contention, specifically the 3-point shooting on a roster that lacks exactly that.
Nunn’s name has also been in trade rumors this offseason though, so if the Lakers go that route, it’s possible that the 26-year-old never suits up in a regular-season game for the organization.
Nunn looking to play in Drew League
Beyond Nunn’s comments about being healthy, he may soon have a chance to prove it as he recently expressed desire to play in the Drew League in L.A. after watching teammate LeBron James play in it.
While the Lakers may want Nunn to be cautious to ensure he is healthy for training camp, getting back out on the floor in a competitive setting like the Drew League may be good for him to prove he is still healthy and can play at a high level.
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