Phoenix Suns: Rookie Ryan Dunn Continues Hot Shooting Streak

Ryan Dunn has now shot 44.2% on three-point attempts through eight preseason and regular season games.

Oct 17, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) shoots against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

In a late-night win against the Dallas Mavericks last night, Pheonix Suns rookie Ryan Dunn continued his hot shooting streak as he poured in 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from three. He also finished two-of-two on two-point attempts, including this particularly nasty putback dunk:

RYAN DUNN WITH THE PUTBACK 🤯 pic.twitter.com/lR7FuzzfaL

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 27, 2024

After making just 12 of his total 51 three-point attempts (23.5%) in two seasons at Virginia, since the start of NBA preseason, Dunn has shot a red-hot 44.2% on 43 total threes in only eight games and 155 minutes. For comparison, he played 65 games and 1336 minutes as a Virginia Cavalier. That means he's gone from shooting the ball around once every 26 minutes at Virginia to around once every four minutes in Phoenix, while simultaneously boosting his shooting clip by over 20%.

Given that it's a small sample size, it still really doesn't matter. He's not just shooting wide-open catch-and-shoot jumpshots, he's legitimately pulling up and shooting confidently over defenders, both in transition and in the halfcourt. And not just taking those shots, but making them too. Going from a hesitant and complete non-shooter in two seasons at college to being a seemingly solid shooter in the NBA over the course of one offseason is truly incredible work, by both Dunn and the Suns player development staff.

He probably isn't a true 40% three-point shooter right now, but even if he's able to sustain around 35% on solid volume over the course of a whole season, that raises the Suns' ceiling by a lot. They possessed essentially zero help at the point-of-attack defense last season, and after signing Tyus Jones, didn't help their case at all during the offseason.

Dunn brings that point-of-attack defense at extremely high levels along with rim protection next to Nurkic and Durant. He averaged 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals in less than 28 minutes per game at Virginia last season, and 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals in 22 minutes in preseason action. On a team full of offensive superstars, he is the X-factor of the Suns' playoff aspirations in a tremendously competitive Western conference.

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