Ryan Dunn bringing real impact off Suns bench to begin Year 3

PHOENIX — After back-to-back years filled with excitement off the Phoenix Suns’ draft-day maneuvering to get Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat, here comes Ryan Dunn with a little reminder that he’s still around.

Dunn had a second-year campaign that showed some individual regression, following a rookie season that brought lots to be optimistic about on both ends of the floor. Most would have guessed that Fleming would be ahead of him in the rotation this year, and that Peat might have a chance to be at some point too.

But Dunn earned that last perimeter spot off the bench in camp, and he’s been one of the Suns’ best players through the first two weeks of the season.

The thing about last year is that while Dunn himself looked to be losing confidence on offense and impact on defense, the team was still performing well when he was in the game with key players. It was a 7.7 net rating for him in his 577 minutes with Jordan Goodwin, and more importantly, an 8.1 in 571 minutes alongside Devin Booker. Booker played 495 minutes or more with 10 different teammates, and that 8.1 net rating with Dunn was the highest.

Clearly, Dunn in some way was still making an impact. And it’s translating more this year.

In 105 minutes, Dunn has a 9.0 net rating, on a Suns team with a team-wide -6.8 net rating, according to NBA Stats. That is the second-highest mark in the rotation behind just Luke Kennard, and critically, Phoenix’s defensive rating with Dunn on the floor is a 106.5 for a squad that is 29th in that category.

Dunn has now received his official certification as a “0.5” guy. You’ll remember that from the Monty Williams era of his off-ball wings, that he wanted those players to immediately make decisions when the ball got to them off penetration, whether it was to dribble, pass or shoot.

Sometimes, this is being a connective piece, seeing space required to fill and keeping the ball moving.

https://t.co/oxDNo95Tdy

— Fiba burner (@BurnerFiba54101) November 6, 2026

Sometimes, it’s not about the speed, either. It’s just about making the right decision every time, and this is a great one to set up Booker (!) attacking a closeout (!!) for an in-rhythm jumper (!!!).

https://t.co/6dXO4ajr93

— Fiba burner (@BurnerFiba54101) November 6, 2026

Sometimes, when you are that connective piece, the ball finds you and you’re able to use some of this good mojo to get this type of late-clock shot to fall.

https://t.co/P7rrHTDy7o

— Fiba burner (@BurnerFiba54101) November 6, 2026

It looks like it’s clicking for him on how to be a connective piece on offense after last year Dunn’s assist percentage nearly doubled, a great step for a player like him who is never going to have a play drawn up for him to set up a teammate. So far this year in seven games it’s eight assists and two turnovers for him.

“I don’t want to say clicking. I just want to be slowing down, just trusting the process of everything,” Dunn told Arizona Sports. “Trying to be a little more aggressive, not for myself but making plays for others and trusting what I can do and what I can be (are) probably the two biggest things.”

Something that has undoubtedly helped this season is Dunn playing as a small-ball 5. When he was at Virginia, a slipping screener was oftentimes his primary role on offense. We haven’t seen nearly enough of it in his first two years, so some injuries lately have allowed for him to get back to his comfort zone.

“Yeah! I’m a little used to it,” Dunn said. “That’s always why I appreciate it because, I was thinking about the other day, every step I’m gonna take I can take it from anywhere so I always thought back to Virginia and how I can do that. It’s a little bit different out here in the NBA but I just try to be the best I can be out here.”

It’s working for the team as a whole. In the 61 minutes the Suns have played this year in those Dunn small-ball 5 looks, they have a 7.6 net rating, per Data Ballr.

This might look like a simple play but it’s a tight window for that catch and finish off the slip and Dunn’s got these down.

When I mention dicatating terms, this’ an example of it.

Game within the game is the Suns forcing the Dubs to join the no 5 on the floor party, because their lineups doing so have been so effective.

Immediately, Suns use Ryan Dunn as a screener (what a shift it’s been for him) & Colllin Gillespie finds him late on the roll.

— Stephen PridGeon-Garner 🏁 (@StephenPG3) October 25, 2026

How about the way in which it can open things up for his teammates? Watch Aaron Gordon defending off the ball on this screen.

Ryan Dunn stacking positive plays.

Watch the new pace his slip into the roll creates, & the domino effect of it is this closeout for Jalen Green to attack. https://t.co/qie3xb2HX2

— Stephen PridGeon-Garner 🏁 (@StephenPG3) October 31, 2026

Dunn laughed while saying he is sort of running around like a “headless chicken” with how he will freestyle those screens, but Dunn knows getting that opposing center involved in the action instead of letting him just sit off ball is necessary for this lineup to work. Most small-ball lineups feature a plethora of shooting, and that’s not these lineups, so he knows the drill.

And Dunn’s 3-point shot isn’t really relevant to whether or not he can play impactful minutes in the regular season. He’s a career 32% 3-point shooter, but if he’s screening like this a whole lot, then that’s fine.

This is also more about keeping him on the floor for everything else. Dunn is one of the best rebounders on the team. Last year, his 10.5% rebounding percentage was tied with Goodwin for the top mark among non-centers in Phoenix. This year, his 11.7% is ahead of all Suns perimeter players.

The tantalizing part of Dunn is this growing to the point where we see his defensive upside finally come alive. Dunn was thought of as a guy that would make All-Defense teams if his offense ever came along. All draft evaluators and scouts would assess his offensive growth two-plus years in as a success. It’s just about his defense reaching its potential.

For now, he will chain together energy sequences like this, and that’s what the Suns need for a bench unit that is one of the top reserve groups in basketball.

Really good controlled chaos sequence of activity from Ryan Dunn.

The ball finds energy, & Ryan Dunn’s brought plenty of that tonight. 2nd oop from Devin Booker. https://t.co/YE1GrVzhjE

— Stephen PridGeon-Garner 🏁 (@StephenPG3) November 6, 2026

Dunn wouldn’t co-sign the idea that battling with Fleming and Peat brought more motivation for him, and instead, ended his answer by imagining what it could look like once all three of them are out there. And that’s the key. Not only Dunn’s mindset, but if the Suns can ever get to a point where these bigger and athletic wings can be difference-makers.

They’ve drafted one in three straight drafts for a reason. The skillsets all three provide are what’s missing for Phoenix, and if that trio develop properly, help is on the way.

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