Kendrick Nunn punches the ticket to Berlin for Panathinaikos

The talk will be all about his offensive explosion in the fourth quarter. Emmet Ryan says that only tells half the story. The phenomenal workrate of Kendrick Nunn on both ends guided Panathinaikos past Maccabi Tel Aviv and into the Euroleague Final Four.

“I don’t have to say much. We just let our game speak.” Those were the final comments from Kendrick Nunn after an incredible display for Panthinaikos in Game 5 against Maccabi Tel Aviv. That performance was decisive in putting the Greens into the Euroleague Final Four for the first time since 2012.

Let’s talk about D

We’ll get to the scoring in a bit. The workrate of Kendrick Nunn in this game was on a different level. His role for most of the season has essentially been as dual-threat scorer. Nunn is equally adept at creating his own shot off the dribble as he is at finding open space and creating something off ball.

He did all that on Tuesday night against Maccabi Tel Aviv. What few were expecting was his superb workrate on the defensive end. Nunn was a terrier out there for the full 38 minutes he was on the floor. This was not the normal display and showed his understanding of the moment.

Way back when he signed with Panathinaikos, it became clear quickly that Nunn understood what was needed to adapt to the game on this side of the pond. There have been critics, some justified, but even his most ardent supporters didn’t see this coming. It was pure hustle and fury, putting his body on the line in a fantastic defensive effort.

Now let’s talk about scoring

Kendrick Nunn has been referred to as the best offensive player in Euroleague by Kostas Sloukas. Nunn tended to agree with his team captain but Dimitris Giannakopoulos went one step further in the hours before the game. The Panathinaikos president said he’s the best import in Europe since Dominique Wilkins.

That’s a lot of big talk so it’s important to back it up. For all of Nunn’s superb effort through the first three quarters, the scoring numbers were fine but not all-timer. Then, of course, he rose to the occasion.

That fourth quarter explosion received a few answers from Maccabi Tel Aviv. So Nunn kept on asking the question until the visitors just couldn’t respond. With history on the line, Nunn was calm and ruthless in ensuring a place in Berlin and his first trip to the Euroleague Final Four.

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