For all of the flashes that have been absent for Phoenix Suns rookie Ryan Dunn in Summer time League, these two preseason video games have been like a strobe gentle going off.
Dunn was ultra-aggressive taking pictures his nook 3s whereas making good selections with the ball elsewhere and was as marketed defensively. The primary quarter of Tuesday’s 105-97 win over the Detroit Pistons was his private spotlight.
Phoenix began the sport with Kevin Durant defending stocky 6-foot-6 guard Cade Cunningham, one thing the Suns must do at instances given their lack of dimension. That is what’s going to make Dunn extremely helpful if his offense is satisfactory sufficient to hold on the ground.
Take a look at this work on a man who might make All-NBA this 12 months after going 3.
https://t.co/KeD3G5ldXz pic.twitter.com/PY9ZR3g5xG
– Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) October 8, 2024
Devin Booker got here out of the timeout seeing this and regarded impressed. Dunn choked Cunningham as soon as once more.
https://t.co/F8EfMBSa7V pic.twitter.com/Bh3aJFg6ZE
– Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) October 8, 2024
The rookie then did it once more and felt himself pushing again a 3-pointer on (!) the (!!) dribble (!!!).
oh my God pic.twitter.com/rzm8CWyKxj
– Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) October 8, 2024
To refresh the contextDunn solely made a dozen 3-pointers in two years at Virginia and his playmaking/reducing down of no matter house he had within the nook was producing inconsistent outcomes (35 assists to 42 turnovers). In an effort to keep his phenomenal protection, he was used as a play finisher doing loads of screening and reducing.
His first step is confidence, at all times taking pictures when given the prospect and creating his instincts in 0.5 eventualities, i.e. no-bounce conditions the place decisions have to be made in half a second or much less. Though it is solely two preseason video games and we’ll see what the true rotation appears to be like like in two weeks, Dunn has not solely been slotted with minutes alongside the bench gamers, however moderately shares loads of the courtroom with Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal.
That is sensible teaching from Mike Budenholzer. The Suns are a very totally different workforce if their greatest weak spot — not having gamers exterior of Durant with trendy wing abilities and actual dimension — is not less than considerably stuffed in 15-20 minutes per sport by Dunn. It appears to be like like Budenholzer goes to offer the rookie each likelihood doable to win this function.
Ditto for Oso Ighodaro, who took nice benefit of the harm to Jusuf Nurkic (left main) to run extra with the rotation gamers. When Ighodaro was recruited, the pondering was: “Here is your backup middle” due to how prepared Ighodaro is for the NBA. The signing of Mason Plumlee stalled that course of. However will it’s?
Not if Ighodaro continues to make performs like this.
I am wanting ahead to Ighodaro’s minutes with Beal. Beal is an exceptional cutter and could not present it in any respect final 12 months. pic.twitter.com/i3sJVkyCpA
– Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) October 9, 2024
Ighodaro remains to be a half-step forward, a stage of remedy he wants as a consequence of his lack of taking pictures. At instances the sector received too tight for the play he wished to make at Marquette, however with all that additional house he’ll discover all of the passing angles he needs.
Ighodaro remains to be half a second forward. It won’t seem to be a lot, however he would not hesitate and he is clearly having fun with the additional house. pic.twitter.com/iAKrrLJJp7
– Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) October 9, 2024
If this additionally interprets defensively, the place Ighodaro’s mobility would deliver a brand new dynamic, he shall be within the rotation sooner moderately than later.
Dunn completed with 10 factors, 4 rebounds, an help, a steal and two blocks whereas it was six factors, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks for Ighodaro.
Suns proceed to make 3s, beat Pistons
Underneath 3PA watch, Phoenix made 19 of its first 29 photographs from deep and completed the primary half with 26. It failed to achieve that whole in 9 full video games final season.
The depth of preseason basketball lends itself to getting triples, however the gamers responded to the teaching workers’s need, which was a kind of photo voltaic eclipse that occurred final season . In what shall be a constant theme over the following six weeks, we’ll see if this continues. The primary indicators are promising.
Budenholzer opted to offer his important starters just a little extra time on this one, getting into the center of the third quarter as an alternative of reducing the twine at halftime like he did on Sunday.
Durant scored 21 factors in 19 minutes on 8-of-12 taking pictures. Tyus Jones added seven assists, two steals and no turnovers.
In what’s only a reminder of what’s going to be wanted this 12 months, sloppy defensive rotations or slight shifts of consideration from the ball to the celebs have been there, as you’d anticipate in a preseason sport. However that is not one thing the Suns will be capable of reside with given their deficiencies elsewhere. Booker and Beal each have to play essentially the most constant protection of their careers, whereas Durant must get again to the place he was in 2022 earlier than the commerce, an unbelievable two-way marketing campaign in Brooklyn.
Nurkic (left center finger) missed his second consecutive preseason sport whereas Grayson Allen (private causes) was additionally out.
The Suns now return residence and can resume the preseason sport Friday towards the Pistons on the Footprint Middle.
