To the surprise of many, the Phoenix Suns opted to use the picks at their disposal in the 2024 NBA Draft. They flipped their 22nd selection DaRon Holmes II for Ryan Dunn at 28th, before taking Oso Ighodaro in the second round.
The organization wasn't finished there, opting to sign a player in Jalen Bridges who wasn't drafted. Of those three players, Dunn is the one that that Suns hope can come in and have a positive impact right away.
That might be asking a lot of a 21-year-old, but his skill set is something that has been seriously lacking in The Valley for a while now.
Namely the potential to be an elite defender, with the offensive end of the game something that is going to come along over time. Next to Devin Booker and Kevin Durant though, that shouldn't be a problem for new head coach Mike Budenholzer. Here are three goals for the youngster to aim for in his maiden campaign in Phoenix.
3. Play in over 41 games
Forget about stats for a minute, just appearing in half of the Suns' regular season games would be a nice starting point for Dunn. As of this moment there's obviously no way he's a starter, but the path to consistent minutes is still tricky. Put simply this is a better Suns roster than what they managed a year ago.
Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale have signed new deals and need minutes, while Josh Okogie could yet make his way back for another go round with the team. Point guard Monte Morris simply has to see court time - and the Suns might not even be finished in that department yet - while Mason Plumlee has also joined the roster.
Suns Summer League coach Vince Legarza on what he's seen from Ryan Dunn's defense so far: “Super unique defender....His ability to defend around the rim as kind of a wing, and there was parts of practice where he's picked up the point guards and navigated screens” pic.twitter.com/dsbF3gs8l6
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) July 10, 2024
In theory Dunn can do something that all of those cannot, and that is be an elite perimeter defender on certain nights for this group. If he's going to earn a living here, it will be chasing superstars up and down the court, so that Booker and Bradley Beal don't have to.
To play in 41 games then would be a great start, because it would prove that coach Budenholzer both trusts him, and also has a plan for him. Playing any meaningful minutes in the postseason would be the cherry on top, but that's not to worry about right now. Dunn will likely get his chance to impress early, and he has to ta