Suns are finally making a Ryan Dunn realization fans already knew

The Valley most certainly has a soft spot for sophomore forward Ryan Dunn. Although he is currently out with a right wrist sprain, fans have loved his desire to defend the opponent's best player from the jump of his first game in the NBA.

Best use of Dunn is off the bench moving forward.

Which is why it is painful to admit that in order to get the best out of the 22-year-old long-term, he should come off the bench. This was already apparent even before he went down, although he had started 11-of-16 games prior to that happening.

But there just hasn't been enough offensive growth from Dunn to justify having him out there in the biggest moments, with 8.4 points on 34 percent from deep not going to cut it. There was hope that he could be this roster's answer to Mikal Bridges, and that could one day still happen.

Right now though he's looking more like a defensive spark off the bench, replacing point guard Collin Gillespie in that role as he has been promoted to the starting group. A move that everybody could get behind. The way head coach Jordan Ott has set his team up to play only reinforces that notion more.

He has had great success playing Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale in tandem when both have been healthy, with their ability to stretch the court with their shooting but also guard bigger players allowing the Suns to play an aggressive and pressing style.

Neither are as long as Dunn, but they are too threatening on the other end for defenders to leave alone, which is creating space for Gillespie and Devin Booker to operate in. Throw in center Mark Williams (yes Brian Gregory you can take a victory lap on that trade), and that is a combination that has been winning games.

Whereas Dunn has failed to kick on this year, although in truth the second half of his rookie season tailed off from a blistering start in which he couldn't miss from deep. There is still a place for him in the rotation, he's more likely to be here long-term than Oso Ighodaro, we just have to change our expectations.

Perhaps if Allen is moved at the trade deadline then the need for Dunn to be brought back will be necessary, but coach Ott also has to fit Jalen Green in somewhere as well. With all due respect to both Dunn and even Gillespie, they're not getting playing time over the guy the organization landed for Kevin Durant.

This can still have a happy ending though, as Dunn's intensity off the bench can ensure the Suns remain elite on that end for a whole game. This is a great problem to have, as they need depth at every position to begin to compete once more. It is not what we thought Dunn would be, but it is not a problem either.