The Ryan Dunn experience so far with the Phoenix Suns has been a frustrating one. Through nearly two seasons with the team, every time it looks like he's putting it all together, a dip in form comes.
With the sudden willingness of head coach Ryan Dunn to use the rookies on this roster, Dunn's position in The Valley is as uncertain as ever.
Dunn running out of time to prove he can be long-term solution
It is not that Rasheer Fleming is a better player than Dunn right now, but offensively he already looks like he is capable of giving the Suns a more varied output each night.
It goes far beyond 3-point shooting as well, although Dunn making only 31.6 percent of these efforts to this point hasn't helped.
He has had purple patches, most notably when he first came into the league, but he has struggled for consistency from beyond the arc.
Send Ryan Dunn to the G League
— Suns JAM Session Podcast (@SunsJAM) February 2, 2026
At 35.9 percent on 1.9 attempts, Fleming is hardly setting the world alight either. But he is already more comfortable with the ball in hand, trying to make things happen.
Defensively Dunn still slots in better with any group Phoenix has out there, but Fleming looks like he could close that gap quickly.
An interesting development occurred in the recent loss to the Toronto Raptors as well, with Fleming playing 23 minutes off the bench.
Dunn received a DNP, and although he's not quite in the same worrying position as Jamaree Bouyea, the influx of rookies this season means the margin for error has decreased.
Coach Ott is going to turn to him again before the season is out, but unlike Oso Ighodaro it is hard to see where his role is going to be as this team continues to be competitive.
For Dunn to not see action even with Dillon Brooks out injured was surprising, while new recruit Haywood Highsmith also received 19 minutes.
Dunn would still have some trade value this offseason if the Suns decide to go in that direction with him, and that may end up being what is best for both parties.
The front office has quietly done an excellent job of rebuilding post Kevin Durant, while drafting Dunn can hardly be viewed as a bust either.
There's a two-way player lurking in there somewhere, and most believed once Durant left Dunn would have plenty of time to find him.
Only they're ahead of schedule and have guys filling roles that Dunn would have been ideal for, with Fleming in particular putting pressure on Dunn to get this right ASAP.