Most of the moves that the Los Angeles Lakers made last summer ended up being horrible. The Lakers had one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history in large part because of Russell Westbrook and the lack of quality depth on the roster.
One player that fans were very excited about that was viewed as an absolute steal was Kendrick Nunn. Los Angeles signed the promising young point guard with the Taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception when many expected Nunn to get more than that as a free agent.
The only problem is that Nunn never played for the Lakers. He played in some preseason games and then missed action for a knee injury. That injury ended up being more troubling than anyone could have expected, resulting in Nunn missing the rest of the season. Without playing a game, Nunn opting into the second year of his deal became a no-brainer.
Nunn is a wild card for the Lakers with many fans excited to see what dynamic he could add to the team. The only problem is that it appears that Nunn’s knee issues have carried over in 2022 with reports of his ramp-up process being “slower than expected”.
While that is troubling, Nunn quickly took to Twitter to debunk this news report, saying that it is even news to himself.
You learn new things about yourself everyday on social media 😂 that’s why I barely be on here 🤫🤫 https://t.co/1MA8N5Ux1N
— Kendrick Nunn (@nunnbetter_) September 3, 2022
With over a month to go until the 2022-23 season begins, fans can be hopeful that they will finally see Nunn in action in a regular-season game, as long as Nunn himself isn’t throwing out a red herring on social media.
Kendrick Nunn adds a much-needed dynamic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
It is extremely important that Nunn is healthy and can play for the Lakers as he brings something to the table that the Lakers do not have a lot of right now: three-point shooting. Nunn is essentially the Lakers’ best three-point shooter and the team is going to need him to have a Malik Monk-type impact next season.
Monk was a microwave scorer off the bench for the Lakers and was effectively the team’s best three-point shooter. If Nunn could copy that performance and provide the same kind of impact with Monk now in Sacramento that would be massive.
Of course, there is the potential of a Russell Westbrook trade that brings better shooters to the team but that still does not erase the potential impact that Nunn can have. Even with additions like Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, the Lakers do not have much scoring off the bench.
LeBron James may end up on the Lakers a lot longer than fans think
The Los Angeles Lakers signed LeBron James to a two-year extension two weeks ago but that might be just the start of LeBron's future in LA.
Having someone who can create his own shot of the bench is huge and that is what Nunn could provide the team if he is healthy. If not, the Lakers would suddenly be looking at Lonnie Walker as the team’s best shot-creator off the bench, which is less than ideal.