The Phoenix Suns enjoyed by far their most impressive win of the still-young season on Saturday night, as they held on to beat the Houston Rockets 102-99. A victory that immediately lifted the mood in The Valley, and which saw third-year forward Ryan Dunn give perhaps his most important performance for the team. The Suns are looking increasingly vindicated for sticking with the streaky forward.
Dunn the two-way forward who can link play for Suns to win games
The 23-year-old entered this season with a ton to prove, but going back to preseason, he quietly showed Head Coach Jordan Ott that he could be the perfect forward for a roster feeling the departures of Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale. Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges are both better players than he is, but Dunn is a more willing defender than Bridges and has a vastly different body type from Brooks.
His 3-point shot has always been streaky, and to see him make a pair against the Rockets was a nice surprise, but we know that ability is likely to disappear again soon. But it was the game-high +25 that Dunn finished with that was the most impressive, and he was on the court for much of the Suns building the large lead that they almost let slip.
The value of having Dunn out there is clear because he knows his place in the pecking order offensively. Whereas Miles Bridges expects to shoot the ball about 12 times per game, and with Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks right there with him, Dunn is a player who tries to defend at a high level and takes the shots that the offense gives him.
We put forward the idea that Dunn had the most to gain from Mark Williams going down with injury heading into this season, and he has so far proved us correct. He's going to have poor shooting nights, and he won't be inserted into the starting lineup anytime soon, but the Suns don't have another connector on their roster with the skill set and length that Dunn possesses.
Dunn now one of Suns' veterans who has seen plenty in Phoenix
Hard as it may be to believe, after Booker and Jordan Goodwin (who left and came back), Dunn and Oso Ighodaro are the longest-tenured Suns on their roster. He has seen plenty since being drafted by the team, and he is benefiting from that experience now. The franchise needs guys to stand up and be counted during this rough start to the season, and Dunn has answered the call.
He has got his flaws and will likely always be a below-average scorer in this league. But Ryan Dunn is helping the Suns win games, is defending with a desire that most of his teammates have not matched so far and is doing whatever Coach Ott needs him to. His purple patch has arrived at the ideal time.
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