At 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, James Nunnally envisions himself as an off guard who can also run some point and play both forward positions in the NBA.
He scraps for rebounds and is a willing defender. He creates off the dribble for himself but knows when to pass up his own shot and make the extra pass.
He can bury shots from deep, shows deft touch from midrange and rises above the rim in close quarters.
These days, the former Weston Ranch High star is flying under the radar.
From the time he played his final game for UC Santa Barbara, where he left as the program’s third all-time leading scorer, Nunnally has embraced the role of underdog going into today’s NBA Draft.
The 21-year-old realizes he is a long shot to be selected, so instead of watching ESPN’s draft coverage tonight he will “just being hanging out” in Santa Barbara.
“You never know with the draft — anything can happen,” Nunnally said in a phone interview Wednesday. “I’m hoping for the best but expecting the worst at the same time. I’m just going to keep it low key. I have no big plans.”
Nunnally, a two-time Manteca Bulletin All-Area MVP, at least has a foot in the door. Through post-draft free agency, the Las Vegas Summer League and the NBA’s Developmental League, there are other avenues for players like Nunnally to latch onto a team.
He has worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers (his favorite team), Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings (twice) and continues to refine his game with help from Sacramento-area basketball trainer Guss Armstead. Nunnally also shined in Armstead’s Sacramento Pro Development League.
“It’s been good,” Nunnally said of his pre-draft preparations. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities, a lot of good feedback from the teams I’ve worked out for.”
He is also getting pointers from big brother Mike Nunnally, who prepped at East Union before playing for Delta College and Pacific. Mike is playing professional ball overseas in Finland, Germany and Japan.
“I’ve always been a step ahead it seems like because of my brother,” James said. “I knew what it was going to be like going into college, and he’s helped me a lot after college. I’m just lucky to have a big brother like him who has taught me so many things.”
Still, Nunnally is relatively unknown in a draft class considered by many to be the NBA’s deepest in years. That just further fuels his desire to make it.
Nunnally felt slighted for not once being named to the All-Big West First Team honors. He was twice named to the second team while earning honorable mention as a junior.
And throughout his four-year career at UCSB, he played in the shadow of teammate Orlando Johnson — the school’s career scoring king, two-time Big West Tournament MVP and one-time conference Player of the Year.
Nunnally averaged 16 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a senior and helped the team earn berths to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 11.
“Orlando and I have a real good relationship and I know he felt I should be getting some attention, too,” Nunnally. “All it did was put a fire under my (backside), man. I never let it affect how I play or how I practice, but it just motivates me. Every day I wake up with a chip on my shoulder and work hard on getting better.”
