For those who recall, early in the season his freshman year Nunge actually started some games down low alongside Cook, and Garza came off the bench. This was a 5 game stretch that included games at Indiana and at Iowa State.
Nunge:
20 MPG / 10.6 PPG / 4 RPG / 1.6 BPG
54.3% FG / 33.33% 3P%
That’s pretty quality play. Adjust that out to 25+ minutes and those numbers are solid, certainly hoping his rebounding improves a bit with the additional strength.
As it played out Garza played so well he forced his way back into the lineup which moved Nunge to reserve role and Fran tried to find him minutes at the 3.
For Nunge next year he’s coming into a great situation. He will likely be the 5th scoring option (assuming Moss is back). He will be able to focus in on defense and hitting the glass and not have to worry about scoring every night. My guess is he will get quite a few open looks with the options we have around him and he’s shown the ability to knock them down. My expectations are high for this kid, but it’s not like he's some scrub who’s never done it at this level.