The Phoenix Suns selected Ryan Dunn with the 28th overall pick in the 2024 draft, appealed by his high defensive upside. His offensive skill set was questionable, but he looked to fill a role in a poor defensive side. He has done exactly that, providing promise to a team whose current and future trajectory looks bleak.
Alongside Kevin Durant, it is safe to say that Dunn is the Suns’ best and most trusted defender. While this says a lot about the poor state of the team’s roster construction, the pair have been a shining light in what has been an otherwise nightmare season. Dunn has established himself as an excellent point-of-attack defender, really the only one the Suns possess. So why has he been benched for a team which ranks near the bottom in every defensive category?
Suns Rookie’s Reduced Minutes is Non-Sensical
From Regular to Bystander
Dunn quickly endeared himself to Suns fans, becoming a fan favorite early. His athleticism, tenacity and youthful exuberance felt exactly what the team needed. Head coach Mike Budenholzer put faith in the 23-year-old from the start. He played at least 15 minutes in three of the first five games of the season. This included a 16-point outing in his fifth career game against the LA Clippers, in which he played 34 minutes. Belief in the youngster continued to grow, and he was soon thrust into a starting role, now at 28 games as a starter.
WELCOME TO THE DUNNGEON
Ryan Dunn leads NBA rookies & ranks 5th among all @NBA players with a Defended Field Goal Percentage of 40.1% (min. 300 DFGA)
It currently stands as the best DFG% by any NBA rookie since Luguentz Dort in 2019-20! pic.twitter.com/yylaRZBjVx
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 23, 2025
He suffered an injury against the Washington Wizards on January 25th, rolling his ankle after two minutes of play. He’d go on to miss the remainder of the game, plus one further. Since his return, his minutes have significantly diminished as the Suns’ defensive woes continue. At first, Budenholzer explained how the injury played a part in his reduction in game time. However, it’s now almost a month since the injury occurred, and Dunn appears fully healthy.
In the 10 games following his brief absence, Dunn has averaged just 10.9 minutes per game. This is almost half his overall season average. His demotion has been baffling, and even more eyebrows were raised after he played just 20 seconds in the team’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. The Suns allowed the Spurs to get what they wanted on offense, particularly De’Aaron Fox, who was hunting on defense, specifically in the direction of Grayson Allen and Tyus Jones. The Suns have now allowed 119+ points in eight straight games and has only shown signs of getting worse defensively than better.
Time to Prioritize Dunn’s Development
The Suns’ season is in serious danger of slipping away if it hasn’t already. They are 26-29, have lost four games in a row, seven of the last eight and are two games outside the Play-in Tournament. The campaign is coming to a disastrous and bitter end. Even if they miraculously go on a run and make the playoffs, they will likely be met with the Western Conference juggernaut that is the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
Reports of the beginning of a rebuild in the summer are growing louder, and it appears that Durant is likely the big casualty. If the Suns are indeed heading that way, it would make sense to now prioritize the development of Dunn. He has significantly contributed to winning games, making his diminished minutes even more bizarre. The return of trade deadline acquisition Cody Martin could cut his minutes further.
Dunn’s first half of the season caught the eye of many, and he was named as an injury replacement in the Rising Stars game. His team won, which earned them a place in the newly formatted All-Star tournament. They faced “Shaq’s OGs,” which included Durant, and Dunn put on an impressive showing. Perhaps indicative of his strange situation with the Suns, he played more minutes in that game, a first to 40 points, than in any of the last three games for Phoenix. He scored eight points in 10 minutes and played great defense on some of the game’s very best. It is unclear how much more he will be doing of this in the near future.
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