Kendrick Nunn
I expect little from Kendrick Nunn this season.
At first glance, his 2020-2021 general stats look solid, especially for a backup point guard: 29.5 MPG, 14.6 PPG, 2.6 APG, and 38 percent from beyond the arc. Nunn might be an even better shooter than his 38 percent from deep shows. He shot 93 percent from the charity stripe last season, a sign that he could become one of the best long-range snipers in the association under the right circumstances.
Unfortunately, Hollywood probably doesn’t fall under the “right circumstances” category. La La Land is where three-point shooters come to die.
Check out these crazy shooting numbers from three Lakers guard additions from last season:
Dennis Schroder:
- 2019-2020: 39% from deep with the Thunder
- 2020-2021: 34% from deep with the Lakers
Wesley Matthews:
- 2019-2020: 40% from deep with the Bucks
- 2020-2021: 35% from deep with the Lakers
Ben McLemore:
- 2019-2020: 40% from deep with the Rockets
- 2020-2021: 37% from deep with the Lakers
This pattern of three-point shooters struggling once they join the Lakers isn’t a one-off either. Look back through the last decade, and you’ll see most prolific shooters see a drop in their three-point shooting percentage with the Purple and Gold.
There are many theories out there about why players struggle from deep on the Lakers. Some people think it’s the lighting in Staples Center. Other folks think it’s because new Lakers players party too much in LA. Both ideas seem off base, though.
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It’s probably the pressure of playing in Hollywood in front of dozens of movie stars, and the media circus a superstar like LeBron James brings (or Kobe and Shaq in the past). Players probably tighten up just a smidge, and in a game of centimeters, that little extra tension running through a shooter’s arm is all it takes to throw their shot off.
Kendrick Nunn is an excellent regular season three-point shooter, but he’s struggled immensely under the added pressure of the playoffs. During the 2019-2020 postseason, Nunn shot 28 percent from deep and followed that awful showing up by shooting 28 percent again in the 2020-2021 playoffs.
Kendrick Nunn could surprise next season, but the math doesn’t look good. Poor postseason shooter + Hollywood pressure = struggles from deep.
Add in the fact that Kendrick Nunn finished second to last on the Miami Heat in defensive rating last year while allowing his assignments to shoot over two percent better than their normal average. And you have the recipe for an undersized, shoot-first point guard who’ll likely struggle from deep while letting opposing players blow by him.