The Miami Heat will begin their four-game road trip on Sunday against the Portland Trailblazers. They will be without their starting guard Victor Oladipo, who’s sidelined with a right knee injury. Oladipo injured his knee during the fourth quarter of the team’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. He finished with 18 points in 25 minutes and appeared to have injured the knee following a dunk. He is out indefinitely and will be reevaluated.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9PbEWFCoNs” width=”600″ height=”400″ responsive=”yes” autoplay=”no” mute=”no”]
With Oladipo sidelined, it opens up minutes for Kendrick Nunn. Nunn, who was last year’s Rookie of the Year runner-up to Ja Morant, has shown he’s capable of providing valuable minutes for the team. The 25-year old guard averaged 15.3 points per game last season. He’s been in and out of the rotation this season but still has put up good numbers: 13.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 37.2 percent from three-point range.
“We talked and put together a plan for him to stay ready,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Nunn, via the Sun Sentinel. “He does keep himself ready. He does have the mental toughness to be ready for the next opportunity.”
Nunn last played in late March against the Charlotte Hornets, when he sprained his right ankle. He missed two games because of the ankle injury and has not played the past four games with Oladipo being inserted into the lineup. Even before Oladipo’s injury, Spoelstra mentioned the possibility of Nunn being re-inserted into the rotation in case of an injury.
“And it always happens,” Spoelstra said. “Unpredictable things happen, and he’s a great worker. And he hasn’t stopped doing that, because of this, and that’s why he’ll be ready.”
Now, that opportunity is here for Nunn. We’ll see how prepared he is starting Sunday.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Jacari McRae on Twitter @JMcRae23
Main Image designed by Jeremy Guerin IG: @jeremycguerin
