The Phoenix Suns may have made some massive roster changes this offseason, but predicting their starting five for 2025-26 - despite all of the new additions - really isn't a difficult part. That is except for the power forward role, a spot that was vacated by Kevin Durant and who the Suns don't have anybody close to his Hall of Fame level ready to take on that mantle.
Working backwards to figure out who will be the four, and Devin Booker and Jalen Green will form the backcourt. This will mean one of them being the point guard - a position neither is truly comfortable - but they're also the two best offensive players the franchise has. Then there's Dillon Brooks, who will be the defensive quarterback from the three spot. Mark Williams is going to be the center.
Stage is set for Ryan Dunn to take on final starting spot in Phoenix.
Which leaves second year forward Ryan Dunn as the obvious choice to begin the season as the four in The Valley, and it isn't even close. If you cast your mind back a year, Dunn began the campaign on fire from beyond the arc. That cooled off quickly - he eventually finished an awful 31.1 percent from 3-point range - but he hit that rookie wall hard.
Dunn started 44-of-74 games played, an impressive feat given Durant and Bradley Beal were on the roster, and the expectation was to win. The team were also notably better defensively when he was on the court (115.1 points conceded) versus where they finished for the campaign as a whole (117.7 points allowed).
Who’s more poised for a breakout season, Ryan Dunn or Collin Gillespie? @ErikRuby & @StephenPG3 disagree 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/kFnkjbYYy8
— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) August 23, 2025
With the Suns now shifting into a more defensive-minded approach, Dunn is clearly going to excel next to Brooks and Williams. Better yet, Basketball Reference believes he'll easily crack 13 points per game as well, almost double his output as a rookie. He we'll be the fourth option at best in that starting group on the offensive end, and that return would be great.
Adding a further layer of intrigue to his near open-and-shut case was how Dunn took care of the basketball as a rookie. Per Cleaning The Glass he was in the 85 percentile of players who turned the ball over, only giving it away when in possession of the ball 8.2 percent of the time. That was better even than point guard Tyus Jones' 10.1 percent, although he had the ball in his hands a lot more.
But with the sort of wingspan and body type Dunn possesses - plus his willingness to defend - this is going to be his spot to begin the season. If he could make even 35 percent of his shots from deep and continue looking after the ball, then he could get some fringe Most Improved Player love. The Suns don't need that however, just another draft pick to hit for them. The people's choice.