Ryan Dunn: The sun shines at sunset!

For the Suns, the results of this season are obviously unsatisfactory.

They maintained the Big Three lineup last season and found a head coach with championship experience, but they couldn't even make the playoffs. For this luxurious lineup, the team did not hesitate to spend money on key projects and bet on future assets. Judging from the results, this series of operations can even be said to be a drinking poison to quench thirst.

The gambling has failed now, and they will face serious salary pressure, the team's draft picks are exhausted, and the main player Durant may also leave the team. But at this moment, the team chose Ryan Dunn, which may bring some comfort to the sun that is about to set.

The 28th pick in the first round is not a very high ranking. Moreover, according to the data, Dunn only scored 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds this season, and he really doesn't look like a pillar of talent who can shoulder the responsibility of reviving the team.

In fact, the Suns' current lineup is quite deformed, the players' height is polarized, and they have a large number of defenders who are not outstanding in height, but lack excellent wings. Even the main defender Booker is in the first half of the team, which has led to many defenders who have to push up to the wing frontcourt position and face opponents with larger sizes than themselves.

As one of the few qualified forwards in the Suns, Dunn naturally became the first candidate to face the opponent's main wing. Although defense is the advantage he is optimistic about in the draft, such a high-intensity role setting is undoubtedly a great challenge for a rookie.

But unexpectedly, he handled it quite well. In this team that focuses on offense and neglects defense, Dunn has become one of the few people who are willing and can take the initiative to undertake defensive tasks. Of course, he cannot completely block the top stars, otherwise he will not be able to fall to the end of the first round. But the vitality and stable defensive awareness he showed quickly won the trust of the team coach.

The Suns opened high and closed low this season. After Durant was injured, the team's record took a sharp turn for the worse, and even after he returned, he could not stop the bleeding. The situation of more losses and less victory, coupled with the overly conservative coach Budenholzer's dispatch, rumors of a general's mismatch are constantly rumored. However, amidst doubts, Durant made it clear that Dunn should be able to get more playing time because he can provide this lifeless team with vitality.

As a rookie who was considered unable to shoot before the draft, Dunn shot 44% of his three-point shooting percentage before the season, which was definitely beyond many people's expectations. The reason is also very simple. If Dunn showed such a three-point shooting percentage in college, he would never have fallen into the second half of the first round.

Strong confrontation and strong physical fitness, Dunn had a must-have condition for being a top NBA defender as early as college. From his early days, his templates were listed as Mattis Seble and Andrew Robertson, which shows that compared to defense, offense is his biggest problem.

On the offense, Dunn mostly relies on converting fast attacks. He can also block the opponent on the defensive end or steal the opponent's pass, relying on his outstanding physical condition to break into the enemy's formation and score a dunk.

"What impressed me the most after entering the league? I think it was the dunk on Antetokounmpo's head!"

As a player with excellent physical conditions, he can do a lot of things, but for modern basketball, such skills are far from enough. After all, modern basketball emphasizes space, and it is impossible for a team to not fight positionally. When the team enters the half-court offense, if a player does not have the outside line or the ball-holding skills, he will inevitably become the target of being released on the defensive end, allowing his own offensive players to face greater defensive pressure.

And the outside line is precisely Dunn's biggest weakness.

At the University of Virginia, Dunn averaged only 23% of his three-point shooting percentage in two years and only 52.5% of his free throw shooting percentage. Such a tragic shooting percentage makes people wonder whether he can survive against an NBA field with a longer three-point range and stronger defense.

As Dunn's template, the direct reason why Seble and Robertson have been unable to have stable careers in the NBA is that they have never been developed on the outside offense. But for Dunn, although he later went through adjustment and returned, his three-point shooting percentage this season remained at 31%. Even though he was far from qualified 3D standards, it was much better than when he was in college.

The main reason for all this may be attributed to Durant.

As the team's ace, Durant has given this rookie careful guidance enough. As a forward player, Durant's ability on the shooting end is naturally top in the league. Although Dunn did not change much in his projection posture before and after the special training, the blessing of projection confidence became the key to his efficiency.

Of course, in high school, Dunn's three-point shooting percentage was close to 40%, and he also had certain external potential. However, after entering university, due to his tactical role positioning, he gradually lost his outside projection and his projection confidence gradually declined. Now, with the return of confidence, although his shooting is not fatal, it can at least prove that this is an improved skill. When there is a gap in the court, he will not hesitate to take action.

And Durant's help to the newcomer is not just shooting skills.

After a certain practice, he took the initiative to stay and practice shooting with Dunn, sharing how he could master the rhythm in the game. As a senior, he reminded Dunn not to rush to achieve success, maintain a stable mentality, and naturally he can wait for his own opportunity:

"Basketball, I will come to you by myself."

Such tips still vividly make Dunn remember them. In an interview, he said that his biggest change after entering the league is his mentality maturity:

"Don't be too excited, and don't be too depressed. The more critical the moment, the more you should stay calm.. ”

But as the season entered the middle, Dunn's shooting performance gradually fell into a downturn, and was even abandoned by the coach for a while. Criticism from the outside world also followed. Some fans thought his performance was not as good as expected, and even wasting Durant's last peak years.

"Durant told me not to pay attention to the noise from the outside world and focus on running his own track. He made me understand that making a little progress every day is really important. ”

Although facing a low point, Dunn was not discouraged. He used defense to support his teammates incorrect offense. Because of this, Durant won him more playing time. When Bill left the court due to injury, Dunn was once again pulled into the team's starting lineup. His partner combination with another newcomer Iguodaro injected fresh vitality into the team, and also allowed this sun with a weak record to retain a glimmer of hope at the end of the season, and also made fans not completely despair about the future.

With the end of the season, Durant and the Suns' senior management are likely to part ways, which also means that Dunn is likely to lose this mentor. However, Durant's departure will further expose the problem of insufficient staff in the Suns' forward line, and Dunn may gain more space to play.

Judging from this season, Dunn's immediate combat power is gradually breaking the doubts before the draft, which has made many people begin to look at him with admiration. Especially in this year, which is regarded as the young year of the draft, his stable performance It shows that Dunn is likely to be a high-quality green leaf in the Suns future lineup that deserves long-term cultivation.

Looking back at Dunn's rookie season, there may not be dazzling personal data, but he proved his value with practical actions. In the Suns, a difficult team, he is like a glimmer of light, bringing the possibility of hope. His defensive fighting spirit, gradually stable outside line and never retreating mentality allow players to see the infinite potential of a young player.

Perhaps Dunn will always be I will not become a superstar like Durant, and of course, he does not need to be such a player. In modern basketball, a 3D wing that can defend multiple positions, provide stable offensive and defensive energy, and does not drag on the offensive end is already a precious asset in the league. And now Dunn is moving steadily in this direction.

When everything is not clear, having a player who can stabilize the team's lower limit at least means that the team has taken the first step in stability.