Another month, another award for shining rookie Kendrick Nunn.
The NBA has named Nunn the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in December. After winning the award for Oct/Nov, Nunn is now the first undrafted player in NBA history to win the award on multiple occasions and the second HEAT rookie to do so more than once, joining Caron Butler (four times).
Nunn led all rookies for the month in points (233) and field goals made (92) while ranking second in assists (59), tied for second in three-point field goals made (28) and third in plus/minus (+49). He scored his 500th point of the season on December 27, in his 31st game, becoming the fastest HEAT rookie to 500 points in franchise history, surpassing Dwyane Wade’s 32 games during the 2003-04 season. His 528 points through December are the second-most by an undrafted NBA player in the Common Draft Era (1966). Nunn scored a game and career-high 36 points vs. Atlanta on December 10 and combined with Duncan Robinson (34), Bam Adebayo (30) and Jimmy Butler (20) to total 120 points, the most by a foursome during a single-game in HEAT history. Additionally, he connected on his 69th made three-point field goal on December 30, already moving into fourth place on Miami’s all-time rookie list.
Nunn averaged 15.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 32.3 minutes in December while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 80.8 percent from the foul line in 15 games (all starts). He led the team in scoring and assists twice each and in minutes and plus/minus once each. He recorded 13 double-figure scoring games, including the last 12 consecutive to end the month. Among rookie league leaders this season, he ranks second in scoring average, second in assists per game, third in minutes per game, seventh in steals per game, tied for seventh in free throw percentage, eighth in field goal percentage and 10th in three-point field goal percentage.