Lakers News: Kendrick Nunn's Knee Injury to Be Reevaluated in 2-3 Weeks
The Los Angeles Lakers will be without guard Kendrick Nunn for longer than anticipated.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters that Nunn, who sat out Tuesday's season opener against the Golden State Warriors, has a bone bruise in his right knee and will be reevaluated in two to three weeks.
The Lakers signed Nunn this offseason to add depth to their backcourt. In four preseason games, he averaged 8.8 points in 23.8 minutes per game.
Nunn is one of the NBA's most surprising success stories in recent memory. After going undrafted in 2018, Nunn signed with the Golden State Warriors' G League affiliate. In 49 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors, he impressed with 19.3 points per game and was signed by the Miami Heat in April 2019.
Nunn immediately impressed his new team with a 40-point performance in a preseason game against the Houston Rockets. He earned a spot in Miami's starting lineup for the 2019-20 season opener. In his first week in the league, he earned an NBA Player of the Week nomination after averaging 22.3 points.
Nunn was named Rookie of the Month three times that season, becoming the first undrafted player in NBA history to win the award multiple times. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
Nunn's injury is the latest in a list of the Lakers' early-season ailments. Veteran swingman Wayne Ellington is nursing a hamstring injury that kept him out of Tuesday's season opener. Young rotation player Talen Horton-Tucker underwent thumb surgery during the preseason.
The Lakers are expected to be in contention for the NBA championship this season and hope to be at full strength by the postseason.
