{"id":124947,"date":"2025-02-21T10:40:42","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T15:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=124947"},"modified":"2025-02-21T10:40:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T15:40:42","slug":"suns-ryan-dunn-reduced-minutes-non-sensical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/21\/suns-ryan-dunn-reduced-minutes-non-sensical\/","title":{"rendered":"Suns Rookie\u2019s Reduced Minutes is Non-Sensical"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Phoenix Suns<\/a> selected Ryan Dunn<\/a> with the 28th overall pick in the 2024 draft, appealed by his high defensive upside. His offensive skill set was questionable, but he looked to fill a role in a poor defensive side. He has done exactly that, providing promise to a team whose current and future trajectory looks bleak.<\/p>\n

Alongside Kevin Durant<\/a>, it is safe to say that Dunn is the Suns\u2019 best and most trusted defender. While this says a lot about the poor state of the team\u2019s roster construction, the pair have been a shining light in what has been an otherwise nightmare season. Dunn has established himself as an excellent point-of-attack defender, really the only one the Suns possess. So why has he been benched for a team which ranks near the bottom<\/a> in every defensive category?<\/p>\n

Suns Rookie\u2019s Reduced Minutes is Non-Sensical<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From Regular to Bystander<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dunn quickly endeared himself to Suns fans, becoming a fan favorite early. His athleticism, tenacity and youthful exuberance felt exactly what the team needed. Head coach Mike Budenholzer<\/a> put faith in the 23-year-old from the start. He played at least 15 minutes in three of the first five games of the season. This included a 16-point outing in his fifth career game against the LA Clippers<\/a>, in which he played 34 minutes. Belief in the youngster continued to grow, and he was soon thrust into a starting role, now at 28 games<\/a> as a starter.<\/p>\n

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WELCOME TO THE DUNNGEON \ud83d\udd12<\/p>\n

Ryan Dunn leads NBA rookies & ranks 5th among all @NBA<\/a> players with a Defended Field Goal Percentage of 40.1% (min. 300 DFGA)<\/p>\n

It currently stands as the best DFG% by any NBA rookie since Luguentz Dort in 2019-20! pic.twitter.com\/yylaRZBjVx<\/a><\/p>\n

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n