Is James Nunnally the next NBA role player to come out of Europe?
Back in late November, Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer wrote an article called “Your Next Favorite NBA Role Player Will Come Out of Europe,” which centered around the Spurs’ previous offseason acquisition, Brandon Paul.
The piece talked about how players like Paul aren’t ready to contribute to an NBA team out of college. In response, they go to Europe — or China, but not really — to get sufficient minutes to help them improve. Four-to-five seasons later, they have matured, improved and are actually ready to contribute to an NBA team.
NBA scouts and teams are on the hunt for the next Paul almost as much as they are for the next Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s not because they’re hoping one of these guys can turn into a star, but more so because they can provide tremendous value. Paul signed for a two-year deal with the Spurs, the first year being at the league minimum but fully guaranteed while the second year features a slight pay bump but is partially guaranteed. Paul has given the Spurs the return they expected based on that money. He plays sparingly, only when called upon, but does his job.
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When you look at the likes of Omer Asik making roughly $11 million each of the next three seasons to do nothing, it’s easy to see why teams are tempted to make a cheap gamble with an overseas player. Next summer will feature a number of players coming over from Europe, like almost every summer does. But who are the role players you want your team gunning for? Who’s the guy that when your team signs him you can say, “Yeah, he’ll definitely help us win.” Because for every Paul or Daniel Theis, there’s a guy like Damjan Rudez.
The player who is definitely on every NBA team’s radar at the moment is James Nunnally. Nunnally went undrafted in 2012, played (poorly) in Summer League, then played in the G League and a few games in Greece before getting a cup of coffee in the NBA with the Sixers and the Hawks respectively. (Here are some other guys Hinkie also gave a shot that season: Adonis Thomas, Darius Johnson-Odom, Eric Maynor and Casper Ware. The following seasons were even worse, but I digress.)
Nunnally began his Euro grind in the 2014-15 season by signing with Maccabi Ashdod in Israel. He was a star for Ashdod, averaging 17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 38 percent from deep on 6.7 attempts per game. He earned himself a move to Estudiantes of the Liga ACB in Spain, which is a decent step-up in competition and that showed in his output. After that brief stint to end the season, he signed for Avellino in Italy for the following season where he balled out again, averaging a career-high 18.4 points per game.
His strong season earned him the biggest move of his career so far — an opportunity to play for Fenerbahce Ulker, the best team in Turkey and an early season favorite for the Euroleague title, with Bogdan Bogdanovic, Ekpe Udoh and Jan Vesely. He wasn’t going to be a star, but he was going to be a key role player who was necessary for his team’s title run.
Nunnally had some rough stretches, but otherwise did what was expected of him. He averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 54 percent from deep (that’s not a typo) on 3.4 attempts per game. Fenerbahce won the title and then experienced a rough summer as Bogdanovic and Udoh departed for the NBA. Nunnally remained, and this season he’s showcased how much of an impact he can have as a role player and why legendary head coach Zeljko Obradovic trusts him so much.
The first thing that stands out about Nunnally is his NBA body, which is comparable to Nicolas Batum’s. Nunnally is 6-foot-7 and weighs 200-pounds and Batum is 6-foot-8 and also weights 200-pounds. Nunnally’s official wingspan was unavailable online, but you’ll see in the coming clips that it’s impressive and, once again, comparable to Batum.
Nunnally’s body is a huge asset for him, especially on the defensive end, where he’s been impressive in his two seasons with Fenerbahce. His athleticism, size and length give even the best European scorers problems and would likely transition well to the NBA game.
Nunnally’s length allows him to be disruptive in the passing lane, and make the occasional block, as shown below:
Nunnally’s length and athleticism makes him a talented transition player on the offensive end. He fills the lanes well on the fast break and is more than capable of finishing above the rim.
Nunnally’s defense, athleticism and NBA ready body make him stand out, but his shooting stroke is truly what separates him from the pack. As mentioned earlier, he’s shooting 55 percent on 3.4 attempts per game. (Those numbers are so good they need to be mentioned twice). While the looks he gets in Fenerbahce’s offense certainly help those numbers, he has showcased the ability to shoot from deep in a variety of ways.
He’s best as a spot-up shooter, which is where most of his looks come from in Fenerbahce’s offense.
His strength as a spot-up shooter has led to Fenerbahce experimenting by running him off of screens. While NBA teams wouldn’t necessarily run plays for him, the option is there and it could come out of the flow of the offense.
Nunnally showcases the ability to use a simple screen to fire away from the perimeter, as well as an elevator screen where he pump fakes and attacks the rim. Nunnally’s release will need to be a little quicker in the NBA, but it’s a small fix that may come with the general learning curve he’ll have if he moves to the NBA.
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3-and-D wings in the NBA are becoming the left-handed pitchers of the NBA — teams can never have enough. Nunnally fits this role perfectly, and will come over on the cheap this coming summer. He’s come a long way from being the worst player in NBA 2K, and will hopefully be able to state his case as a valuable asset to a winning team if he chooses to make the jump across the Atlantic.