The Phoenix Suns recorded by far their most impressive win of the season on Sunday, as they toppled the San Antonio Spurs and handed them their first loss in the process. Knocking out superstar Victor Wembanyama was key to the victory, with sophomore Ryan Dunn putting in his best performance of the campaign in making it happen.
Dunn has started every game so far this season, but his production has been on the quiet side thus far. He’s scoring a maximum of 10 points per game, but the 3-of-4 he went from deep in the Spurs win was an anomaly when placed next to the 32 percent he’s averaging so far this year. Exactly close to what he managed to achieve as a rookie.
Dunn advocates starting as soon as the suns are fully healthy.
The 22-year-old was such a factor against the Spurs that he should now be considered to start when the team is fully healthy. Jalen Green will certainly replace Grayson Allen and move next to Devin Booker, although Collin Gillespie could have something to say about that. The tougher decision will come once Dillon Brooks returns from his groin injury, as he expects to start.
Watch Ryan Dunn here
Spurs go slice for Wembanyama, Dunn adjusts positioning to get first goal on switch and front
Dunn continues to fight to the catch point with multiple attempts, eventually coming to a stop pic.twitter.com/qAIvalU4jo
— Stephen PridGeon-Garner 🏁 (@StephenPG3) November 3, 2025
But the reality is that in Brooks’ absence, the Suns have risen all the way to 13th in defensive rating, while the broadcast during the Spurs game mentioned that they are now in the top 10 in transition defense. Dunn has been an important part of this; his height and speed allowed him to cover up mistakes made by both himself and his teammates.
An interesting argument can also be made that Brooks could be both an excellent sixth man while supporting the bench. Before he went down, he was taking the most field goal attempts every night – which was unsustainable – and splitting him up from Booker and Green could be a nice way to ensure he still gets his.
It’s a delicate balance between making sure Brooks is involved on both ends versus taking over and having a negative impact on the team. Fans of the Memphis Grizzlies will be all too aware of this. The Suns can still field lineups with Booker, Green and Brooks, but Dunn just reminded everyone that he can offer this roster something no one else can.
He has the length and athleticism to consistently annoy opponents – and while his three-pointer isn’t dropping at the required rate yet – there’s still plenty of time to do that well. Head coach Jordan Ott was right to bench Oso Ighodaro after a series of uninspired out-of-position displays, but benching Dunn will be a lot harder to justify.
#Ryan #Dunn #gave #Suns #biggest #problem #drafting