Euroleague star, James Nunnally, drawing interest from Celtics
James, a 6'7", 205-lb knock-down shooter, went undrafted in 2012 and has played in the G-League, NBA Summer League, NBA, and in various European leagues since then. His overseas' per-36-minute numbers show out at 16.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.6 APG.
But what really stick out are his shooting-accuracy numbers. He hits on 47.4% of his field goals, 44.0% of his three-pointers and 88.7% of his foul-shot attempts. That is solid accuracy against sound competition. How good can he be with significant minutes on an NBA team? That remains to be seen, but he looks like, at least, an able 3-and-D, end-of-the-bench guy. Here is a player-comparison from Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach:
Think Joe Ingles, who averaged 10.1 points (on 47.6 percent shooting from 3), 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per 36 minutes for Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv before the Utah Jazz gave him an NBA roster spot at age 27 in 2014; he’s gone on to become one of the NBA’s most accurate shooters and a vital contributor on a resurgent Jazz team that just made the second round of the playoffs.
There was a time when Danny Ainge wouldn't even consider a European player. That has changed. Daniel Theis and Guerschon Yabusele should be definite contributors to the Celtics playoff run this season, and Brad Wanamaker has just been signed. The Celtics are not the only team in the running for Nunnally's services, and here is Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach once again:
In all, 10 teams have reached out about Nunnally’s availability. Nine of them were playoff teams last season, and the other — the Los Angeles Clippers — just missed the postseason. Are these teams putting out feelers for solid role players because they know they’re a piece or two away from legitimacy? Or are they just smarter than a team like, say, the Brooklyn Nets, who just used a late first-round pick on the hope that 19-year-old Croatian Dzanan Musa becomes what at least one undrafted American already is in Europe — a rotational player in his prime?
Nunnally is 27 years old and is looking for a guaranteed NBA contract. He can guard three positions and has the size Brad Stevens looks for in wings. Joining a terrific organization and a former European teammate (Wanamaker) may give the Celtics an edge in signing him if they so desire. Stay tuned.
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Photo via Euroleague
