Miami Heat point guard Kendrick Nunn has declared himself Rookie of the Year following his hot start to the season.
The undrafted star put up some serious numbers, breaking a few records along the way and also getting named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month three out of four times. But his recent statement could be viewed as highly controversial, with Ja Morant having made a serious case for the accolade and already considered to be the ROY by a great many fans.
“I’m Rookie of the Year,” Nunn told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel in a recent interview.
“I think people will say that he is Rookie of the Year, but I don’t believe it,” Nunn continued. “The most value should be in the wins. And we’re both starting guards on teams, and our team has been holding it down. We’re a playoff team, so go ahead and give that Rookie of the Year to Kendrick Nunn.”
To be fair, Nunn was easily the biggest steal of the summer. He was averaging 15.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.1 threes per game on 36.2-percent shooting before the capaign was suspended. His contributions helped the Heat to a 41-24 record in the Eastern Conference – of course, the acquisition of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo’s evolution had a huge part to play.
The Grizzlies, eighth in the West are 32-33, with Morant putting up 17.6 points (on 49.1 percent shooting), 3.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 threes per night, making him the favorite for the award. Morant has also claimed three Rookie of the Month awards this season.
