Early trends show Suns got luckier over the summer than expected

The Phoenix Suns are off to a nice start so far this season, and there are several factors they have to thank for this. The introduction of a new head coach in Mike Budenholzer is surely one - not just because he's preaching more 3-point shooting - but because his fit with this group appears much better.

Then there is the continued excellence of Kevin Durant, who has begun the campaign looking as good as ever at 36-years-old. With Devin Booker heating up and Bradley Beal looking as good as he ever has in The Valley, it is no surprise the Suns have beaten some playoff-bound teams already.

This good fortune can be traced all the way back at the NBA Draft.

As you are surely already aware, rookie Ryan Dunn has been a revelation for the organization so far. The hope was that he could become a two-way player with similarities to Mikal Bridges, but that his poor 3-point shooting with Virginia meant that any hopes of this happening even this season looked slim at best.

Instead Dunn has not only come out shooting a ridiculous 43.8 percent from deep on four attempts each night, but he's already been trusted to start a game in place of Beal. Not only that - but the ability of Dunn on both ends of the court and his size making the starting five have a better balance - some fans now want to see him start permanently.

This could have all been so different, if the Suns didn't make a draft night trade with the Denver Nuggets. If you cast your mind back, you might remember that the Suns actually selected DaRon Holmes II 22nd overall, with the Nuggets taking Dunn 28th. That was reportedly more to do with the Nuggets than anything else, who wanted Holmes II badly.

Their persistance was the Suns' gain as they were gifted Dunn in return, and there's one very good reason they have already won that trade. Not only is Dunn way ahead of schedule and actually contributing, the fact he's playing at all has him one up over Holmes II. That's because unfortunately for him, he suffered a torn achilles back in July that has him out for the season.

As a prospect Holmes II surely would have found some playing time in The Valley, although it is hard to see how he could have had a better impact that Dunn currently has. But can you imagine if Holmes II had suffered that injury while with Phoenix, and what that would have meant to their rotation? Being a player down is bad enough, but a young rookie with defensive upside would have been even worse.

The Nuggets have struggled out of the gate so far, and Dunn is in a lot of ways exactly the kind of player they would love to have on their roster. Not just for what he can bring on the defensive end - Julian Strawther has a similar body type and willingness to defend - but incredibly for his 3-point shooting.

Currently Denver ranks 29th in 3-point attempts per game at 30, with only the Toronto Raptors behind them. Those kind of numbers surely would have created an opportunity for Dunn, but it is one which he is instead taking with the Suns. He would have gotten legitimate minutes on either roster, but it is in Phoenix where they are already seeing the benefits.

Dunn already holds the most impressive stat on the Suns' roster early in the season, and his trajectory only looks to be headed in one direction. At a time when this group needed a spark, they were gifted one by a Western rival, while the rookie who went in the other direction unfortunately won't be seen until 2025. It doesn't get much better than that.