3 updated and more ambitious goals for Ryan Dunn for 2024-25 season

The Phoenix Suns had a breakout player throughout their run of preseason games, and it was without doubt Ryan Dunn. Their first round pick in this year's NBA Draft hitting the ground running, and making the most of extended run in these tune-up contests.

Fellow rookie and second round pick Oso Ighodaro also had his moments - but when it comes to young players who might actually end up helping the Suns this coming season - Dunn looks like he fits the bill. Yet another reason for General Manager James Jones to take a victory lap for the job he has been doing behind the scenes for the last number of years.

Which is why we've moved the goalposts on the expectations for Dunn.

We've already mapped out just what the franchise could hope to expect from the former Virginia player - but with goals such as appearing in 41 games now appearing easily achieved - it is now time to re-evaluate just what he can mean to this team. Yes these have become wildly ambitious, but the sky really does look like it is the limited for Dunn now.

3. Shoot 38 percent from 3-point range

The knock on Dunn coming out of college was that - although defensively the upside was massive - it was his inability to knock down a shot from deep that was going to hold him back at the next level. In two seasons with Virginia he took less than an attempt per game, and connected on 23.5 percent of those efforts.

There was zero indication that Dunn was going to be able to knock these shots down on a consistent basis and become the most reliable "3-and-D" wing the organization have had since Mikal Bridges - who he is already being compared to - but then a wonderful thing started to happen. In preseason Dunn was walking into and taking these shots with confidence, and they were going in.

He went a superb 6-of-11 from deep against the Denver Nuggets, and already has the confidence of a player who knows he is going to get these looks often. Which he will when he shares the court with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Unlocking this skill so early is really what has allowed us to recalibrate the expectations for his rookie season.

Is shooting 38 percent from 3-point range a big ask? It sure is, and yet Dunn looks more than up to the task. He'll play with the second unit more often than not so getting these shots off will be more difficult, and no player is immune from the rookie wall. But if he can get to this level in year one, then he alone changes the trajectory of this group.

2. Start 10 games

This might be tinged by negativity, because really if the Suns are fully healthy then there's no reason Dunn should be starting games. Great as he has looked, the fivesome of Booker, Beal, Durant, Tyus Jones and Jusuf Nurkic - although clearly lacking defensively - has the potential to blow opponents away.

But injuries are unfortunately part of the game - Beal played 53 games during the regular season in his debut campaign - and Dunn is quickly making himself a viable option to start if that happens. Grayson Allen bulked up over the offseason and led the league in 3-point shooting (46.1 percent) last time out, so he'll likely be the first man called upon.

But there's a real chance now that Dunn could start alongside Booker and Durant if Beal is out, both because Jones could still run the show and because of the potential two-way threat he would bring. Durant is an elite defender and Booker can be on any given night, but the addition of Dunn would make the Suns better on that end no matter the opponent.

There is a drive to how he plays on that end, and it looks like everything Suns fans wished Deandre Ayton would approach games when he was in The Valley. Starting 10 games is not a crazy number either - even if the Suns do fancy themselves as contenders - as he could even slide in there if Nurkic is out, playing a smaller lineup beside Durant in the frontcourt.

1. Top 5 in Rookie of the Year

The idea of putting Dunn on this list would have been laughable even a few weeks ago, but there are two factors seriously working in his favor here to crash the party. The first is the national visibility he will get playing with the Suns, a team who will be talked about often and who will be on national television frequently.

The same cannot be said for youngsters playing for the likes of the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards, even if they do end up having much more of a say in the fortunes of those teams. Just as important is the fact that the 2024 class was viewed as one of the weakest since the turn of the century.

If ever there was an opportunity to appear in the top five having been selected later in the first round, this is surely the time to do it. There was no clear cut first overall pick heading into the draft, with Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr the top two selections.

Reed Sheppard at three with the Houston Rockets probably has the most buzz of those guys at the moment, but this class feels different in that there isn't a future multiple-time All-Star ready to show out on League Pass. Winning this thing would be outrageous - although let's not rule anything out until the games begin - but top five certainly looks achievable right now.