1. Kendrick Nunn (6-3 190) from Oakland
Season Stats : 44-39-84 shooting line (4.5 treys) for 25.9 pts, 4.7 rebs, 3.8 asts and 1.5 stls
He led his high school to four state titles and had his jersey retired.
He was a 4-star recruit and won a gold medal with the USA Under-16 team.
The future was very bright for Kendrick Nunn.
Status as a potential high draft pick all came apart when, in 2016, he was accused of domestic violence for allegedly choking a woman he was dating – which he firmly denied. He did plead guilty to one misdemeanor battery charge for pushing that woman down and pouring water on her. For that, he got 18 months of court supervision, 100 hours of public service and had to write an apology letter.
He also got kicked out of his school which is how he ended up at Oakland. He’s been disrespected, called names, and overlooked.
Going to a small name school doesn’t help with recognition and respect either. He only got to play in two games against ranked teams but in that pair of matches, he averaged 4 treys on 38% accuracy and scored 27.5 points along with 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
He was 2nd in the NCAA in points per game and 3-pointers made per game this season.
Regardless of his past, there is no reason a player of his caliber is projected to go undrafted. While his assist numbers aren’t impressive, they aren’t bad and his court vision is solid allowing him make some precise passes.
He’s a good rebounder for his size, a good athlete, and he really gets after it on defense. His catch and release is so quick that when he catches the ball he’s already shooting it. He has Stephen Curry range and confidence.
As an on ball driver, he has a quick first step and is persistent at getting to the rim and finishing. When you watch his highlights, it’s like you’re watching that dream point guard that you create in a video game has come to life.
He’s a scorer (11 games with 30+ points). He can find the open man (seven games with 6+ assists). He can pick pockets (six games with 3+ steals). He deserves a shot and could end up being one of the best point guards in this draft and maybe even a poor man’s Steph Curry.
Next: The two most likely lottery spots the Suns could trade into
That’s it for now. These are 10 guys that are projected undrafted that I strongly feel the Phoenix Suns should target with their 59th overall pick in the draft. What about you? Anyone you feel should be added to this list?