Two weeks after Heat guard Kendrick Nunn made the case for why he – rather than Ja Morant – should be the Rookie of the Year frontrunner, teammate Tyler Herro said this week that he believes he was seriously in the mix for the award too before an ankle injury sidelined him for over a month.
“I definitely feel like if it wasn’t for that injury, I feel like I would be No. 1 or 2 in the Rookie of the Year race, so I’m ready to get out there and prove myself again,” Herro said, adding that he thought his rookie season went “pretty well” overall.
When Nunn promoted his own candidacy for Rookie of the Year, he pointed out that he has been a full-time starter on a top-four team in the East. Herro’s case would presumably be similar — he wasn’t a starter, but he was an important rotation piece for the 41-24 Heat, averaging 12.9 PPG in 27.2 minutes per contest (47 games).
Still, while Herro and especially Nunn have cases to be included on this season’s All-Rookie First Team, it seems safe to assume that Morant will run away with Rookie of the Year voting.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Asked during an Instagram Live interview about the possibility of being a “Heat lifer” like Udonis Haslem, Bam Adebayo expressed interest in following in the footsteps of his veteran teammate. “If I could, I would like to stay here like (Haslem),” Adebayo said, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “But you never know what happens in the future. Everybody just knew D-Wade was a lifer until he left because of situational reasons. You never know. But for me, I feel like I am. I feel like I would want to be a part of (one) organization like UD did just because I look up to UD.”
- Even in the unlikely event that the Heat lose all of Derrick Jones, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill in free agency this offseason, the team should still have enough depth to get by at the small forward position, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, pointing to Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, and Andre Iguodala as viable options at the three.
- With the Heat projected to pick 23rd overall based on the NBA’s current standings, Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald identify some intriguing prospects who might be available in that range in the 2020 NBA draft.
- On Wednesday, we passed along several comments made by Heat president Pat Riley, including his claim that the club is “close” to being a championship contender.
Even as a die hard Heat fan, I think Morant is more deserving over Nunn. Better shooting percentage and higher assist totals. I don’t think there’s much separation defensively but Morant essentially carried Memphis to an 8th seed in a tough Western Conference. Nunn is the 3rd or 4th most important player to the Heat’s success this season IMO.
Guys have got to shut up and stop trolling. Ja was on a level this year that only Zion could match if he was playing. They are complementary pieces, not even close to Ja.
You mad bro?
Yes…Ja by a landslide. And herro is definitely better than Nunn. I like Nunn, but those are empty stats on a terrible team. Herro played meaningful minutes on a playoff team.
Nunn and Herro r on the same team my guy
The Herald duo wrote than Jalen Smith needs work on passing. I think they meant playmaking, but it was a realistic list.
These heat rookies need to lay off the acid. In other news, why is Bam being asked about his career a decade from now? He just got in the league; Who knows what will happen in the span of his career? Give the dude a chance to develop
Herro – 12.9 pts, 4 reb, 1.9 ast, 41.4% FG on 532 shots, 253 that were 3s
Nunn – 15.6 pts, 2.7 reb, 3.4 ast, 44.8% FG on 850 shots, 362 that were 3s
Morant 17.6 pts, 3.5 reb, 7 ast, 49.1% FG on
My phone acts up when charging. As I was saying.
Morant on 800 shots 139 that were 3s. Playing 30 mins a gm. played 59 gms.
Herro 27.2 mins a gm, playing only 47 gms.
Nunn 29.8 mins a gm, played 62 gms.
Morant avg more pts on less shots, per 36 mins by a lot. He avg more ast . He is the leader of this team. As a ROOK. So he impacts his team twice as much. Plays D better than both. Herro should just shut up. And the BIG diff is . If he alone is on the Heat. Other two on Grizz. Heat could go to East finals. Where Grizz won’t even be an eight seed. Which were Morant has them .
K-Nunn & Herro are both 2nd All-Rookie Team… meaning they ain’t even in the conversation about rookie of the year!
1) Morant, Hachimura, Clarke, Paschall & Zion
2) K-Nunn, Herro, RJ, Hunter & PJ
Nunn over hachimura