Ryan Dunn sucks at offense. So what?!

The Suns are running out of time and out of excuses to not play Ryan Dunn

The Phoenix Suns haven’t officially raised the white flag on the season, but they’re certainly rummaging through the closet, searching for fabric and a stick to hoist it. Disappointment has become routine. Loss after loss, the Suns inch closer to the moment when tough decisions must be made.

Technically, they’re still in the fight. Mathematically alive in the Western Conference playoff race. But reality looms large. They sit outside the Play-In, staring down a brutal stretch that offers no mercy. Two games against the Bucks. Two against the Celtics. The Cavs. The Thunder. The Nuggets. The kind of gauntlet that doesn’t just test a team, it finishes them. And right now, the Suns are on the brink of being left behind entirely.

Why? Theories abound. Fingers are pointed. But the truth is simple. Defense. Or rather, the complete lack of it.

Even on nights when the offense clicks, when the scoreboard lights up like against the Memphis Grizzlies, it’s never enough. Because when you let teams score at will, the consequence is inevitable. Losses. And the Suns are running out of ways to survive them.

We’ve reached that peculiar stage of the season, the one where we know it’s over but can’t help but wonder why certain adjustments weren’t made along the way. Among them? The handling of rookie Ryan Dunn.

Early in the season, Dunn was a fixture in the Suns’ rotation. Some of that was out of necessity due to injuries, but much of it was due to the raw defensive talent he flashed as a prospect out of Virginia. He looked like the kind of player who could lock down opponents and carve out a role as a defensive specialist.

But as the season has worn on, his offensive shortcomings have become impossible to ignore. The three-point shot, a critical piece of the 3-and-D mold he was expected to fit, has abandoned him. After a promising 44% from deep in October, his shooting cratered. 24% in November, 28% in December, a brief resurgence to 35% in January, and now just 20% in February. The result? An offensive liability too glaring for head coach Mike Budenholzer to overlook.

His offensive numbers are rough, there’s no way around it.

According to B-Ball Index, Dunn grades out as an F in total gravity, three-point shot creation, three-point shot-making efficiency, off-ball gravity, overall shooting talent, and overall shot-making efficiency. He’s a ghost in the offense, barely registering as a threat.

Ironically, his overall shot quality sits at an A-, a byproduct of playing alongside Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. But even with elite talent creating open looks, Dunn’s true shooting percentage is a D, and his catch-and-shoot three-point efficiency is another glaring F.

The numbers tell a brutal truth. Dunn has settled into the same archetype as Josh Okogie. High energy? Absolutely. Defensive tenacity? No doubt. But when it comes to offense? A complete non-factor.

But you know what? I don’t care.

The Suns don’t need Ryan Dunn to be a scorer. They have Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker. All elite midrange assassins. Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale stretch the floor as sharpshooters, and even Tyus Jones can knock down a three when needed. Scoring is not the problem with this team. Defense is.

So why has Dunn been buried on the bench? Statistically, the decision to move away from Dunn makes sense. But in a season already slipping away, one has to wonder if there was there a way to develop him without completely pushing him aside? Is it simply because his offensive skill set is underdeveloped? If that’s the case, then what exactly did the Suns expect? He was always a project offensively, a rookie who would need time to refine his shot. That was never a secret. But development doesn’t happen in warm-ups. It happens in games.

This team doesn’t lack firepower. It lacks a defensive identity. And that’s exactly where Dunn thrives. Dive into his advanced metrics on the interior, and you’ll see it clear as day.

He takes on the toughest assignments every night. No hesitation, no shortcuts. Dunn’s versatility allows him to guard multiple positions, and he does so with relentless energy and effectiveness. Whether it’s wings, guards, or even the occasional big, he makes life miserable for his matchup.

He can hold his own in the paint, and at 6’8”, he’s a disruptive presence as a help defender. His instincts, timing, and willingness to contest shots make him a valuable asset on that end of the floor.

And on the perimeter? He thrives. He grades out as an A+ in isolation defense, a B in off-ball chasing, and a B- in ball screen navigation—already showing a knack for the toughest assignments. Is there room for improvement? Of course. But he’s a rookie. And at his core, he possesses the defensive instincts, the length, and the relentlessness to be a pest, a disruptor, and a difference-maker in the NBA.

Players like him are rare. The Suns have one. And yet, he sits on the bench, watching as the team struggles with the very thing he was built to fix.

What has plagued the Suns all season? Point-of-attack defense. They aren’t stopping the initial penetration, allowing opposing guards to slice through their schemes like a hot knife through freshly churned butter. The result? Defensive breakdowns, collapses, and an endless cycle of scrambling to recover. And the one player who could actually help fix this? He’s glued to the bench.

Ryan Dunn is the best perimeter defender on the roster, yet he’s watching as players like Tyus Jones soak up minutes. Players who are undersized, lack lateral quickness, and offer next to nothing in terms of rim protection.

When the Suns were winning in January, Ryan Dunn was a factor. He averaged 21.2 minutes per game, and the team went 9-5 in games he played. Granted, it was against the softest stretch of the schedule. But now? Now the Suns are trudging through the gauntlet, facing elite competition, and Dunn has been cast aside.

Last week, he averaged just 3.6 minutes.

Unacceptable.

As the Suns stumble through their final 24 games, we’ll be watching. Will Dunn finally get the run he deserves? Because at this point, the upside far outweighs the downside. The Suns have offense. Dunn needs to develop his. So put him out there. Let him build confidence. And in the process, you might just end up with something this team desperately lacks: someone who can actually play defense.

Because the worst part about this team? It’s not the scoring. It’s not the star power. It’s the fact that no one can stop the damn ball. And that’s why we need Dunn.

Give him 25 minutes. Take all of Jones’ minutes and hand them to Dunn. Play Ryan Dunn. ‘Cause I’m crying, Suns. Yeah. That rhymed.

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