Exploring Dunn’s skill set and his path to earning key minutes.
Welcome to the 2024-25 Phoenix Suns Season Preview series, where we embark on a comprehensive journey through the roster. In this series, we’ll break down individual player previews, offering a detailed look at each member of the Suns’ lineup. We’ll recap their performance from last season, highlighting key moments and areas of growth, and analyze how their skills, experience, and roles will contribute to the team’s championship aspirations.
Whether it’s the seasoned veterans or the rising stars, each player has a unique role in what could be a defining season for the franchise. Join us as we explore the potential and challenges that lie ahead for the Suns in their pursuit of basketball glory.
Ryan Dunn | (New Nickname: Echo!)
Projected positions: SF/G (swingman/wing), 6’8”, 214 pounds, 21 ears old(this will be his age 22 season, (0) Rookie season – 1st Round (28th pick)
2023-24 Recap
Ryan Dunn joins the Phoenix Suns, having developed a reputation during two years in college as an assertive and effective defensive player for the Virginia Cavaliers.
What of Ryan Dunn’s 2023/4 season stats at a glance?
8.1ppg | 6.9rpg | 2.3bpg | 1.3spg | 0.8apg
54.8FG% | 53.2FT% | 20.0 3PT%
Standing at 6’8” (although some player previews have him listed as a true 6’6.25”) with an impressive wingspan and bags of athleticism, Dunn brings an ideal frame for today’s positionless basketball. His athleticism allows him to guard multiple positions, making him a valuable asset in switch-heavy defensive schemes.
Dunn’s quickness, length, and innate defensive instincts give him a solid foundation for thriving in Phoenix’s system under Coach Budenholzer. If he can piece it together this season, he will have a role.
Contract Details
The rookie contract is for 4 years, totaling $12.9 million, with a Rookie-Scale Exception (RSE) in place. In the first year, the player will earn $2.5 million, which accounts for 1.8% of the team’s salary cap.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ryan Dunn enters the 2024-25 NBA season as an intriguing rookie for the Phoenix Suns. He possesses an exciting blend of defensive tenacity and positional versatility. The Phoenix Suns brass made some savvy moves to get their guy on draft night; no doubt they saw his physical tools and relentless motor position him as a potential hidden gem in the Suns’ rotation.
For fans looking for grit and hustle, Dunn could be the spark plug off the bench that Phoenix needs. He will give high-energy minutes (although those minutes may come sparingly) while looking to develop his all-around game.
His energy level and IQ for the ball helped him snag more than his fair share of rebounds at Virginia. This kind of work ethic should carry over as he develops the rest of his game.
What of the shooting? Okay, let’s go over it…we already know it’s a work in progress.
Although his shooting stroke looks nice enough, the numbers aren’t pretty, and I’m more concerned about the low free-throw percentages at this early stage of his professional career. Low FT numbers may indicate his shooting effectiveness from the elbows and beyond.
If Coach Bud grants him set minutes in the early stages of the season, it will likely be to boost the closing lineup of the second and third quarters on defense, banking on his energy and ability to press and get under wings.
He could be left on an absolute island from the perimeter, so developing a 3-point shot as soon as practical will govern how much court time he actually gets through his rookie campaign. If Coach Bud can weave some cutting actions into any half-court sets involving Dunn, that might be the straw that stirs the drink for Ryan’s chances to stay on the floor.
Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
One Key Factor
One of the most significant adjustments for Dunn as he transitions into the NBA is the level of physicality.
While his size and wingspan are advantageous, bulking up and adding NBA-level strength will be essential for him to compete with seasoned, more physical players. He’ll face matchups with power forwards and wings who use their strength to establish position, fight for rebounds, and power through contact in the paint. Developing a more robust frame will help Dunn defend bigger opponents and avoid being pushed around in the post, enabling him to play more physically on both ends of the court.
If Dunn’s defensive-mindedness brings results in the early month and a half of the season, this could bode well for him to see more court time into Dec/Jan. Ideally, the Suns will compete for a top-3 seed in the West this season, which could govern whether Ryan is getting good minutes through the game or on clean-up duty in aisle 4.
Prediction Time
Okay—I’m going out on a limb here. He’ll be a bigger version of Okogie with a better shot. Straight up.
Ideally, if this does happen, can we look for Okogie to be in early trade talks? Ryan Dunn will be most effective in the pressing defensive sets and the pace-pushing game rather than the slow-it-down sets that may see Devin Booker and Kevin Durant operating from the elbows and the nail.
I expect a handful of DNP-CDs, but I also wish for a steady progression through the season.
Ideally, we’ll find Ryan Dunn playing his best rookie-level basketball in March/April (and hopefully deep into June!).
Final Thoughts
It’s exciting to have a prime-time rookie on the Suns amidst all these savvy veterans. We’re all up in here like proud moms and dads. It will be another aspect of our Suns fandom barracking for a young gun in a Suns uniform—hopefully, he’ll be a sponge during his rookie campaign and absorb everything KD, Book, and Coach Bud can impress upon him.
Check out Dunn putting in work with KD below!
The vet and the rookie putting in work
via @dashletics, @swishcultures_, @proactivesp pic.twitter.com/7ZhO69mmbU
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) September 7, 2024
Finally? I think Ryan really is the steal in the draft the Suns were looking for! I look forward to checking back in on this very thread with you after he wins a mid-season home game with a timely defensive stop. I’m thinking a massive block at the hoop.
And as the kids like to say, ‘Book it.’ It’s a Dunn Deal.