The Valley certainly has a soft spot for second-year forward Ryan Dunn. Although he is currently out with a sprained right wrist, fans have enjoyed his desire to defend the opponent’s best player from the jump of his first game in the NBA.
Dunn’s best use is moving forward.
That’s why it’s painful to admit that to get the best out of the 22-year-old in the long term, he’ll have to come off the bench. This was already clear before he went down, although he had already started eleven of sixteen games before that.
But there just isn’t enough offensive growth from Dunn to warrant him being there in his biggest moments, with 8.4 points on 34 percent shooting from deep, he won’t be able to do that. There was hope that he could be this roster’s answer to Mikal Bridges, and that still could happen one day.
RYAN DUNN JUST TOUCHED THE SKY ✈️ pic.twitter.com/pbBSxaGGgf
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 7, 2025
Right now, though, he looks more like a defensive spark off the bench, replacing point guard Collin Gillespie in that role as he has been promoted to the starting lineup. A move that everyone could get behind. The way head coach Jordan Ott has prepared his team to play only reinforces that idea.
He has had a lot of success playing Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale together when they were both healthy, with their ability to expand the floor with their shooting, as well as guard bigger players, allowing the Suns to play an aggressive and pressing style.
Neither are as tall as Dunn, but on the other hand they are too threatening for defenders to leave alone, which creates space for Gillespie and Devin Booker to operate in. Throw in Mark Williams (yes Brian Gregory, you can take a victory lap on that trade), and that’s a combination that has won games.
While Dunn has failed to get off to a good start this year, although the second half of his rookie season actually ended after a blistering start where he couldn’t miss from deep. There is still a place for him in the rotation, he is more likely to be here long term than Oso Ighodaro, we just have to adjust our expectations.
Moving Allen at the trade deadline may require bringing back Dunn, but coach Ott needs to fit Jalen Green in somewhere as well. With all due respect to both Dunn and even Gillespie, they are not getting playing time for the man the organization landed for Kevin Durant.
This could still have a happy ending, though, as Dunn’s intensity off the bench could keep the Suns elite in that department for an entire game. This is a big problem because they need depth at every position to compete again. It’s not what we thought Dunn would be, but it’s not a problem either.
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