The Phoenix Suns have been excellent this season in pushing for the playoffs, but that does not mean everybody on the roster has performed as expected.
Sophomore forward Ryan Dunn failing to take the consistent leap that many expected after some promising flashes last season alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
Dunn at risk of being left behind by Phoenix
It looked like Dunn might be turning a corner not so long ago, but his recent run of form has seen his numbers regress below even his rookie numbers of last season.
Averaging 5.9 points when he mustered 6.9 in his maiden season is unacceptable, and so too is the 32 percent he is shooting from 3-point range.
Last season despite a hot start out of the gates that nobody saw coming he quickly fell back to what was expected of him, as Dunn shot 31.1 percent on 3.6 attempts from deep.
Ryan Dunn on why this years Suns team has outperformed last years
— BrooksMuse (@Brooks_Muse3) January 2, 2026
“I think it was just the expectation we had… we are just playing, we are not trying to focus on what everyone else is saying and the outside noise” pic.twitter.com/nPfEZKt2s7
This year he's taking less (2.5 a night) but that hasn't equated to a better efficiency, as he currently sits at 32 percent on these efforts.
Dunn is out there to do a lot more than stretch the defense however, and although both his on-ball defending and ability to cover elite scoring wings has improved, it is by no means at a level that makes life difficult for head coach Jordan Ott.
He has started 11-of-49 games, having started 44 as a rookie, and although the Suns are better than expected and leaning on veterans in a way few saw coming, the hope was that Dunn could contribute more.
He's part of a bench unit that on most nights outworks opponents, but it is not wrong to expect more out of him at this point in his growth.
To give some kind of comparison fellow sophomore Oso Ighodaro, who was a second round pick, is not as talented as Dunn and has struggled badly when being used as a center.
But he's showing a level of consistency (even if that too is not where the Suns need it to be talent wise) each night that Dunn is failing to keep up with.
Compare that to the breakout campaigns of Collin Gillespie and Mark Williams, and it is a shame Dunn is not right there with them.
The team may not make the playoffs due to injuries, but Dunn not quietly growing into the player the franchise hoped he could be at this point is not helping matters either.