The major positive about Ryan Dunn's injury nobody is talking about

The Phoenix Suns were dealt their worst injury blow of the young season Thursday, with the news that Ryan Dunn had suffered an ankle sprain. It is unclear how long the rookie will be on the sidelines for, although there is no doubt that the organization should not rush him back to action.

The fact that Dunn's absence is going to be felt so strongly - starting with a second meeting with the Dallas Mavericks he is unlikely to feature in - tells you all about how important he has already become to the rotation. A pair of starts in place of Bradley Beal when he himself was out injured, while shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range on 4.1 attempts per game.

Yet there could be a major silver lining to this setback.

That obviously sounds hard to believe. Ankle injuries can be complicated things - just as Stephen Curry - and what works for one person when rehabbing may not work for the other. A lot of Dunn's game is built on being explosive as well, particuarly on the defensive end were he has made teammate Jusuf Nurkic's life a lot easier simply by being out there.

Which is exactly where the positive outlook on this whole situation begins. The sample size is tiny, but there's no doubt the Suns are a better team defensively when Dunn is out there. When taking Beal's place in the starting lineup, that group also featuring Nurkic and Kevin Durant was a lot harder to score on than when Beal is in his place.

Beal actually leads the team in steals (1.7), and has been as active as we've ever seen him since landing in Phoenix on that end of the court. But the smaller stature of point guard Tyus Jones means Dunn is able to switch onto all manner of opponents and mask the deficiencies of his teammates when he's out on the court.

When Dunn has been on the court, the Suns have a defensive rating of 106.1, which would put them third in the league. As it is they sit an impressive eighth, at 109.5. You would think then that this group suffers offensively when Dunn is out there - often in place of an elite scorer like Beal - but you would be incorrect.

The Suns scoring 112.9 points on the season, and 112.3 when Dunn is out there. This has a lot to do with the aforementioned 3-point shooting - which absolutely nobody saw coming after two seasons in Virginia - but which looks sustainable. He may be only scoring 6.8 points per game, but they're coming on enough looks from deep that defenders are now starting to at least keep tabs on him.

This all sounds great, but surely then Dunn potentially missing some time can't be viewed as a positive? Well, suppose he's out for three games and the Suns lose all three of them. Often the true value of a player isn't felt until they're no longer around, and head coach Mike Budenholzer would then have the data - with and without him - to make what would be a very brave decision.

Bring Bradley Beal off the bench.

It's the move fans already think makes more sense because of the balance it would bring the starting group, and Dunn has performed excellently in the pair of starts that he has been handed already. Sort of like an audition, when coach Budenholzer could have gone for veterans such as Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale.

For those who say this team is 7-1 with Beal starting every game when he's healthy, there's no denying that fact. But in order to take a leap hard decisions have to be made, and the evidence is beginning to mount now that Dunn taking Beal's spot is the right decision to make. Not having Dunn at all could be the final piece of information that swings it his way.

Asking a multiple time All-Star who is making $50 million to come off the bench is hard, but didn't Beal leave the Washington Wizards in search of a chance to win? He could have toiled away there, made a ton of money, thrown up 30 shots a night and then called it a career. He decided to come to Phoenix - it was literally his choice - and sacrifice comes with winning at the highest level.

Besides, it's not like Beal won't close certain games and he'll likely spend all his time with one of Devin Booker or Kevin Durant on the court anyway. Hopefully Dunn isn't away from the team for long - because whether starting or off the bench - he has been a crucial part of this hot start.