PHOENIX — Ryan Dunn has turned into one of the Phoenix Suns’ most important players early this season, and the numbers behind his impact are hard to ignore.
When Dunn is on the court, the Suns have a net rating of plus-24.1, and when he sits it falls to minus-18.6, according to an analysis by Bright Side of the Sun. That 42.7-point swing is the second-largest in the NBA behind only Alex Caruso, the site said. Dunn also leads Phoenix with a cumulative plus-minus of plus-40.
Dunn is also leading the Suns in 3-point shooting at 53.8%, Bright Side of the Sun reported, but his defense and rebounding have stood out most on an undersized team that has struggled in both areas.
Arizona Sports reported that after a second season with some regression, Dunn won the last perimeter spot off the bench in training camp, ahead of expectations that Rasheer Fleming might pass him in the rotation. Through seven games he had eight assists and two turnovers, and his assist percentage has nearly doubled.
“I don’t want to say clicking. I just want to be slowing down, just trusting the process of everything,” Dunn told Arizona Sports. “Trying to be a little more aggressive, not for myself but making plays for others and trusting what I can do and what I can be (are) probably the two biggest things.”
Even last season, the team performed well with Dunn on the floor. His 8.1 net rating in 571 minutes alongside Devin Booker was Booker’s best with any teammate he played at least 495 minutes with, according to Arizona Sports.
The Suns have won two straight, holding Orlando under 110 points and Houston under 100 in a 102-99 win Saturday, their first stretch of strong defense this season. Both outlets cautioned that the sample is still small.
Sources: Bright Side of the Sun, Arizona Sports. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Mark Solarski marksolarski / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
