PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 09: Ryan Dunn #0 of the Phoenix Suns defends Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of the NBA game at PHX Arena on April 09, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Getty Images
The Phoenix Suns have become younger, and will spend a significant chunk of the 2025-2026 season focusing on player development.
While they have multiple young players with name recognition, such as Khaman Maluach, it’s second-year Ryan Dunn who stands a strong chance at breaking out.
The three-point shot
When Dunn entered the league last year, he came in with a reputation as a complete non-shooter, having made a grand total of 12 shots from beyond the arc, during his two seasons at Virginia.
As such, the expectation of Dunn was for him to become an undersized big, who would have to be flanked by three-point shooters, as to not relinquish floor-spacing.
It then came as a surprise when Dunn started making three-pointers, regularly, at the NBA level.
During his rookie season, over 55% of his shot attempts came from downtown, and he made 31.1% of them.
That percentage isn’t great, but considering expectations, this was more than acceptable, especially as he ended the season with 82 makes, around 80 more than most would have thought from him.
As he enters his sophomore season, the Suns are hoping Dunn takes another evolutionary step as a shooter, and becomes a high-volume shooter, who can suddenly fill the much-needed 3&D role.
The defense
To become a 3&D player, you also need defensive capabilities, of which Dunn has plenty. His screen navigation, footwork, and level of intensity all work in his favor, and if he’s to see additional improvement as a defender, it’ll be difficult to keep him off the floor.
At 6’6, without shoes, and a 7’1 wingspan, Dunn is a large human being with tremendous motor, and a knowhow of how to apply that size. His athletic prowess only helps his own case, and he’s versatile enough to both scale down to off-guard, and up to the bigger positions.
In the NBA, it’s rare to find players who can play both shooting guard and power forward, but Dunn should stand a decent chance at becoming one of them, which in turns offer the Suns tremendous lineup flexibility.
This isn’t to say Dunn can’t improve on that end of the floor.
His 1.5% steal rate was fine, but nothing to write home about, and that’s going to be a big key for him, as steals statistically registers as one of the most impactful defensive metrics in all of basketball.
He’s got the footwork to position himself, now it becomes a question of timing his hands, and jumping into the path of the offensive player.
All-in-all, it’ll be interesting to see how the 22-year-old performs this year, as there is a world wherein he could be one of the most improved players in the league.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mortenjensen/2025/08/27/ryan-dunn-could-be-major-key-for-suns-this-season/
