Ryan Dunn's Increasing Range Is Huge For His Upside

Rookie Ryan Dunn was not expected to become much of a shooter, but things have changed.

Oct 8, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) loses the ball to Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images / Dale Young-Imagn Images

Ryan Dunn hit a grand total of 12 shots from beyond the arc during his college career, increasingly looking like a player who would be incapable of playing a proper wing position.

Oh what a difference the preseason has made.

Dunn has played two games and already made five triples, some even off the dribble, which opens the door to Dunn becoming not only a huge possible injection into the Suns' rotation, but also allows him to be more than a small-ball center. 

In today's NBA, if you need to have a non-shooter on the floor, it's heavily preferred that the player is a big, as it's become an outright necessity for perimeter players to have the ability to space the floor.

If Dunn's shot is now a legitimate weapon, it suddenly allows the 6-foot-8 defensive dynamo to play three positions, meaning more lineup possibilities, more rotation versatility, and more minutes for Dunn himself.

It can sound overly simplistic to say that shooting will equal minutes. In some cases it won't, if the player doesn't have anything to offer outside of that. 

But in the case of Dunn, a genuinely reliable outside shot unlocks him to an extent that should Suns fans extremely enthusiastic. He, unlike one-dimensional players, has more to offer, such as a defensive level that very soon could enter elite territory. He switches seamlessly, can cover guards, wings, and even smaller centers. 

Dunn played just 27.5 minutes per game for Virginia last season, but still swiped 1.3 steals and swatted 2.3 shots per game, making him one if the most disruptive defenders at the collegiate level.

(In a vacuum, raw stats like the above don't really matter, but in the context of how good he was defensively, generally speaking, they represented a true impact.) 

For Dunn to now, potentially, become a major factor offensively would be a major boon for the Suns, and his own long-term progression. 

It'll be interesting to see if the shot sticks. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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