The Mark Williams injury news was a disaster for the Phoenix Suns as they brace for training camp, but it might just have been the unexpected break Ryan Dunn needed to save his career in The Valley.
Dunn now needed in Suns' rotation to begin new season
The 23-year-old had been booted out of the rotation thanks to the franchise's offseason moves, with new additions Miles Bridges and Koa Peat ahead of him in the rotation. The same goes for Haywood Highsmith and Rasheer Fleming, meaning Dunn's days in Phoenix were seemingly numbered.
That is no longer the case because fellow third-year player Oso Ighodaro will have to spend more time at center than anticipated. It's a position he can play well off the bench, but with Khaman Maluach still just 19 years old, they don't have the luxury of pairing the two together.
So much for this potentially devastating lineup.
Dunn remains a willing defender, and if the Suns do decide to play small against certain opponents - or really because they won't get a replacement for Williams ahead of the new season - Dunn could potentially find himself battling much bigger opponents in the paint.
Could that experiment end in tears? Absolutely, but it's not like Dunn has a choice here. He remains a fine defensive contributor against low to medium-level scoring threats, while his own 3-point shot has been maddeningly inconsistent and is a large part of the reason he has failed to carve out a spot of his own in the rotation.
If trying him at the five fails, or if having him play next to Bridges and Dillon Brooks does not have the desired impact, Dunn will be back where he started: on the fringes of the rotation, hoping for another opportunity elsewhere. He really has got nothing to lose and everything to gain from this depressing Williams injury.
Defensive versatility of Dunn will be called upon to begin season
The versatility that Dunn possesses on that end of the court, despite all his offensive shortcomings, could become the secret weapon for Coach Jordan Ott as he tries to fashion another top-10 defense without his most intimidating inside presence.
If he can also improve on the 5.8 points he managed last season (far from a given), then he will slowly work his way back into the long-term plan in Phoenix.
That is remarkable when you consider how far he had fallen down the rotation, but with the future looking as bleak as ever, they will be forced to turn to Dunn to see if he can help them in their hour of need. How he responds will define the rest of his career.
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