By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Former Fenerbahce player James Nunnally will return to the NBA after four years as he signed a deal with Minnesota Timberwolves.
Although the NBA has been the priority for Nunnally, who will join the league for the first time since a brief stint with the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013-2014, he believes it was his focus on ‘here and now’ that made it happen:
“I just wanted to be one of the best players in Europe. That was my goal. I think things just started falling into place when I focused on my game and getting better and I fulfilled my role on the team I was on.”, he told Pioneer Press in a phone interview.
And under coach Zeljko Obradovic in Fenerbahce, every role means sacrificing a bit for the overall team success: “Anyone of us could average 20 points on any other team, but would we win games? Would we win championships? Would we be competing to play in the finals every year? No. So I think we all sacrificed for the betterment of the team … so I think things translate.”
The Timberwolves were last in both 3-pointers made (eight) and attempted (22.5) last season, and Nunnally – who shot 55 percent from behind the arc last season – recognizes that his job is to change that:
“Obviously, that’s what got me to higher levels and that’s what got me over here, so that’s what I came to do. Just bring something different that wasn’t on the court. Whether I started and I was setting the tone or I came off the bench, I knocked down my shots. If I got any open space I was shooting it, and I was shooting it with confidence.”
Despite the fact that his new team needs to improve the shooting from behind the arc, Nunnally might not get too many minutes playing behind Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler but he is prepared for it:
“You’ve got to be able to grind things out. There are going to be dog days, there are going to be some days where things aren’t easy, but you’ve got to get through, find a way to get through, and I feel like my journey overseas really helped prepare me for that, and for anything, obviously. It’s a long season, guys get tired and need breaks during games. And when that happens, it’s time to step up. … I’m ready. They’re going to see a guy who competes and fights to the end, and that’s one thing I guarantee — I play hard.”