PHOENIX — An assistant coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference last Sunday watched the Phoenix Suns’ preseason game against the Denver Nuggets. He watched Ryan Dunn grab a defensive rebound and run down the court. He watched the Phoenix rookie take a pass, squaring up without hesitation and swishing a 3.
The assistant coach thought it was a fluke. As a sophomore last season at Virginia, Dunn made 7 of 35 from 3-point range. The assistant coach’s team didn’t even bother guarding him on the perimeter. Its scouting report on Dunn, sent to The Athletic, did not include a word about his deep shooting.
ENERGY GUY! (MATCH OR EXCEED HIS ENERGY)
DRIVER! ATTACKING CLOSE-OUT WITH STRAIGHT LINE DRIVE
ELITE DEFENDER — BLOCKS AND STEALS
CUTTER OFF BALL!
OFF REBS! BOX HIM OUT!!!
CLOSE-OUT SHORT WITH HIGH HANDS
Every ACC team last season respected Dunn’s defense. They feared his rebounding. They did not sweat his shooting range. It was a broadcast topic nearly every time Dunn unleashed a 3, an entry point for basketball commentary.
In the second half of a March game at Duke, Dunn blocked two shots in the paint, the second leading to a held ball. On Virginia’s next possession, guard Reece Beekman penetrated and dished to Dunn on the right wing. Dunn buried a 3.
ESPN’s Kevin Brown and Jon Crispin took it from there.
Crispin: “They’ve been sagging so much. At this point, you’re down 23, let it fly. Really hard to have a guy on the floor that you’re not respecting as a defense because it’s 5-on-4. Advantage, defense.”
Brown: “Ryan Dunn’s first made 3 since Jan. 20 at Georgia Tech.”
Crispin: “I love it when people are like, ‘How’s he so open?’ I’m like, ‘Uh, by design?’”
This was not the case against the Nuggets. The 6-foot-8 Dunn made his second 3 off a cross-court pass. After Dunn fired long on his third attempt, the ACC assistant coach thought, “OK, there’s the real Ryan Dunn.” But Dunn then sank a third 3 off a dribble hand-off and swished three more in the second half, the last bringing Kevin Durant off the Phoenix bench in celebration.
Dunn Deal™️
Another look at @Almighty_ry3‘s game-clinching three, his sixth of the game! pic.twitter.com/Tf7v0saMwb
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 14, 2024
Dunn finished 6 of 11 from deep. Entering Thursday’s final preseason contest against the Lakers, the rookie forward is 12 of 27, a surprising development that has some wondering if the Suns pulled off the steal of the 2024 draft, trading up to acquire Dunn at No. 28. The ACC assistant saw a different player Sunday in Denver. So did nearly everyone else.
Phoenix has lacked a strong 3-and-D player since trading Mikal Bridges in the 2023 Durant deal with Brooklyn. Even with the firepower of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, this ranked among last season’s bigger shortcomings, a reason the Suns flamed out in the postseason’s first round. This makes Dunn an intriguing player as Phoenix opens Mike Budenholzer’s first season in the desert.
Two days after the Denver win, Budenholzer said it’s wise to keep expectations grounded for rookies, especially on contending teams. But he acknowledged Dunn has played better than expected. He said the coaching staff has encouraged the rookie to try and “knock the door down, try and find a way to contribute and compete and be on the court.” Dunn has done his best to do so.
As expected, his defense has translated. Dunn has guarded LeBron James (his “Welcome to the NBA” moment), Cade Cunningham, Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray. Against Denver, he leaped for a loose ball, intercepted a post pass and communicated with teammates after a ball screen. Booker said Dunn already has learned players’ tendencies — where they want to go, what they want to do — something he didn’t master until his second or third season.
Suns rookie Ryan Dunn has shot better than expected this preseason. pic.twitter.com/yXYsLYhu5Q
— Doug Haller (@DougHaller) October 11, 2024
As for his offense?
Dunn said every pre-draft workout pretty much boiled down to one question: “Can you shoot the basketball?” It’s not that he couldn’t. With decent form and mechanics, Dunn had shot well in high school. But he had lost confidence at Virginia, known for defense and its methodical offensive style. Entering the draft, Andre Brown, who has trained Dunn since Dunn was a high school junior, made Dunn promise to think like a scorer at every workout. Don’t hesitate. Don’t think twice. Just shoot the basketball.
“I told him every NBA player comes in and they get a label right away,” Brown said. “The blessing is, as a rookie, if you got a chance to show them a different version before they completely label you and stamp it — you do it.”
Dunn, who made 1 of 13 3-point attempts during NBA Summer League, said he has improved his footwork, taking the same steps to get into his shot and landing the same way each time. Even the shots he has missed, Dunn said most have felt good coming out of his hand. Of all his attempts, one stands out.
In the first quarter of an Oct. 8 contest against the Detroit Pistons, Dunn blocked a Cunningham shot near the rim and grabbed the rebound. He took off down court, eyes up, looking for teammates. By the time he crossed mid-court, Dunn knew what he wanted to do. He pulled up from 26 feet and splashed a transition 3.
Ryan Dunn 👀 pic.twitter.com/lqyuUQZWDQ
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 8, 2024
Watching from Texas, Brown yelled, “BOOM!”
“He’s confident and free, and that’s where his shotmaking is coming from,” Brown said. “It’s not really a basketball tweak. It’s not really a basketball change. It’s more about his mental.”
Four games is a small sample size. And preseason performance doesn’t always transfer to the regular season. Dunn will experience better defenses and shooting slumps. The confidence he has built up will be shaken. But the opening weeks for a rookie are almost always about earning trust. From the coaching staff. From teammates. In that sense, Dunn has put himself in a decent position.
“Obviously, the college game is one thing, but since the day I stepped foot in Phoenix he’s knocked down shots,” point guard Tyus Jones said. “That hasn’t been a focal point for us, where it’s like, ‘Oh, Ryan’s not …’ He’s making shots. Shooting them with confidence. We trust in him. We trust the work he’s putting in.”
(Photo of Ryan Dunn during a preseason game last week against the Detroit Pistons: Kelsey Grant / Getty Images)
