Golden State Warriors thoroughly vetted Kendrick Nunn before signing

Chris Nelsen | Special to the Detroit Free Press

The Golden State Warriors employ a thorough vetting process for rookies entering the NBA.

"We have a low tolerance for shenanigans," assistant general manager Kirk Lacob said Thursday. "We have a tight-knitting process that's very important to us."

Kendrick Nunn — the former Oakland University star who finished second in the nation in scoring last season at 25.9 points per game, behind Oklahoma's Trae Young (27.4) — passed the Warriors' tests with flying colors.

Nunn impressed members of Golden State's front office and scouting department leading into the draft on June 21. After not being selected, he agreed to a partially-guaranteed contract with the two-time defending NBA champions. He's expected to play with the Warriors' summer-league teams in Sacramento and Las Vegas, plus he’ll receive an invitation to fall training camp.

A 6-foot-3 combo guard, Nunn played three years at Illinois before transferring to Oakland.

Nunn was accused in March 2016 of putting his hands around the neck of a woman he had been casually dating, a choking accusation he firmly denies. He said he never hit the woman, but did plead guilty to one misdemeanor battery charge after being accused of pushing her down and pouring water on her. Two other battery charges were dropped.

More: Oakland's Kendrick Nunn: From troubled past to top scorer, NBA hopeful

"Kendrick is a guy we talked to throughout the pre-draft process," said Lacob, son of Warriors' majority owner, Joe Lacob. "We interviewed him at one point; brought him in for a workout. We did our background and made sure he's a guy we'd be comfortable with. We're going to give him a chance and see what happens. He's definitely a talented young man."

Nunn, a highly-touted high school recruit out of powerhouse Chicago Simeon, which also produced NBA players Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker, was disappointed not to be drafted. Though with his background, he was not surprised.

"Yeah, absolutely it came up," Nunn said recently via phone from Chicago. "Having conversations with Golden State, they asked about my background. We were getting to know each other. They got to know me pretty well."

Kirk Lacob, similar to Oakland coach Greg Kampe — who convinced Nunn to transfer to Rochester Hills as a redshirt senior — was satisfied with Nunn's background checks.

"I don't want to talk too specifically on Kendrick; it's not fair to him or his history," Lacob said. "We addressed all sorts of things with him, and as you can probably guess, we absolutely addressed his past.

"Frankly, at the end of our process, and after talking to a number of people and getting background on his situation over the last five years, we felt comfortable bringing him in. Like anybody else, he has to continue to be a model citizen and do the right things."

Past and future

Nunn, who Kampe called a potential "lottery pick" before last season, has never shied away from admitting his mistakes. But, at the same time, he doesn't believe the battery conviction is a fair representation of his character.

"It's something that happened in my past, and obviously, I can't get rid of it," Nunn said. "People are going to ask about it, and I don't have a problem sharing details. ... I had a mutual relationship (with the woman involved in the dispute), and we both moved on. There's no hard feelings, at all."

Kampe, who has sent numerous players to the NBA, most recently point guard Kay Felder in 2016, believes the Warriors made a good decision signing Nunn, last season's Horizon League player of the year. Kampe did his own vetting process before offering Nunn a scholarship two years ago.

"I think I know exactly what happened that day," the longtime Golden Grizzlies coach said of Nunn's domestic incident. "Since I believe I know what happened, it gave me confidence to bring him to Oakland. ... He's a good guy. That's a very fair statement."

While Nunn didn't blame his background as the sole reason for going undrafted, Kampe is certain it played a major factor.

"It definitely hurt him," Kampe said. "I could even say it's likely the reason he didn't get drafted. Things have changed in this day and age — and it hurt him. Teams that spoke to me, spoke to our trainers, our weight staff, everybody found out he's a great kid. He's a great young man."

While the Warriors were the ones who signed him, other teams, including the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks, showed interest at various points of the college season and draft process.

"When a player of his abilities goes undrafted, he has options," Lacob said. "Certainly, I think he had a number of enticing and good opportunities, but we told him, 'Look, we'll give you a chance ... and see where it goes from there.' We loved his scoring ability; he's a natural-born scorer. He's got a great ability to shoot off the dribble, which is pretty unique."

Nunn believes he can excel as a combo guard, or possibly hybrid-type wing, in Golden State's offensive system. He tries to model his game, from a shooting perspective, after Warriors all-star guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, among others.

"I'm my own type player, but I look at guys in the NBA and take things off their game," Nunn said. "I'm always working to improve and trying to be as effective as possible. Someone like Steph Curry, that's what I try to mimic in my shooting. That's one of the reasons I got better.

"I think I can accomplish a lot (in the NBA). I'll always be one of the underrated players, at least in the media's eyes. But I'm a tough guard and I'm going to come to win every night. I'm not putting a cap on my ceiling, and my development is going to be interesting. There's no ceiling at this point."

Kampe believes his former standout will make an NBA roster and have an effective professional career.

"Kendrick will prove his worth, and then he'll make his money," Kampe said. "He'll be fine. His history haunted him in the draft, but he lived up to that and owned it. ... I know this: he can really score, he can make shots. In the Warriors' system, he's going to be a really good player. They space the floor, and if you give Kendrick an opening, he's making it."

Lacob doesn't think Nunn's battery conviction will be a lingering issue moving forward.

"Players realize they're part of a tight-knit community when they join the professional ranks," Lacob said. "You need to treat people with respect — and they will treat you back with respect. We're excited about Kendrick and hope he continues to grow as a player and person."