How a rookie made Suns forget about important former role player

There is no doubt that rookie sensation Ryan Dunn has been the surprise package for the Phoenix Suns so far this season. Not only has he quickly established himself in the rotation by playing roughly 17 minutes each night, he was also chosen to start in place of the injured Bradley Beal.

That move paid off to such an extent that there are some who now want Beal to come off the bench moving forward. While we're still some way away from that actually happening, there's no doubt that Dunn's defensive upside and larger frame give the starting group better balance when he is out there.

Dunn also made a prevously important Sun expendable.

If you dare to go back to last season, Eric Gordon was one of they key pickups in what it was hoped could be a title-challenging roster. But rather than slot into the role that was clearly defined for him, before the end of the calendar year Gordon was complaining to the media about his role in Phoenix.

In some ways this was understandable - Bradley Beal was spending a lot of time on the treatment table - yet Gordon's own minutes didn't see a massive uptick as a result. That instead went to Grayson Allen, who became a starter and ended up having a career year. Gordon's 3-point shot that was promised never went up a gear either, as he shot 37.8 percent in 68 games (24 starts).

It was still a loss to see Gordon walk to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason - or so it appeared at the time - but that was before the introduction of Dunn. Not only has he made fans instantly forget about the 35-year-old, everything about the former Virginia player is just a much better fit on this team.

He's already carrying himself like a veteran, while also having the kind of enthusiasm for early season games that was lacking not just with Gordon last season, but the Suns as a whole. It might be too early to call Dunn a better defender than Gordon - that just seems disrespectful - but he's got the legs and body type to hang with everybody from Kyrie Irving to LeBron James.

Best of all though, Dunn has started the season shooting the lights out, while Gordon finds himself in a slump in Philadelphia. The 3-point shooting was not expected to materialize early for Dunn - many thought it might never happen at all - but the 39.3 percent he's managed on 4.7 attempts has been such a boost for the Suns' offense in the early part of the campaign.

Contrast that with Gordon - who is playing more minutes at 22.6 per night right now - but who is converting on only 31.3 percent of his own 3.2 attempts each night. It is almost ironic that he has joined a team in the 76ers were the vibes do not seem good at all right now, while the mood has certainly shifted the other way in Phoenix.

That is not all on Gordon of course, but it speaks volumes that a late first round pick coud so quickly erase a veteran like Gordon - who was celebrated when signed last summer - and actually go on to be better in a lot of ways as well.

Adding point guard Tyus Jones might have been the steal of the summer for the Suns, but successfully transitioning away from Gordon - by using a rookie in Dunn no less - was the smartest and could yet lead to the biggest payoff. It will be fascinating to see if Gordon decides to take it to his replacement when the pair meet.