Not Dunn Yet.
Kris Dunn was the fifth overall draft pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He was supposed to be a big part of the Bulls rebuild alongside Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen, as well as being the Bulls point guard of the future.
But Dunn never lived up to that hype. Failing to prove that he could successfully play alongside LaVine in the Bulls backcourt, his future with the Bulls looked pretty bleak. The writing was on the wall for Dunn when the Bulls GM John Paxson acknowledging the Bulls need to get better at the point guard position during the offseason. The Bulls would then draft rookie point guard Coby White, and completed a sign and trade with the Washington Wizards for Tomas Satoransky.
Photo: Bulls.com
Paxson stated that the team still believed in Dunn, but it’s no secret the Bulls were trying to find the right trade to uproot Kris right out of the Windy City. They would find no such trade, as other teams around the lead were not eager to take a flyer on an offensively challenged point guard. Coach Jim Boylen would then move Dunn out of the starting line up, in favor of Satoransky.
Photo: Pippenainteasy.com
Despite all this, Dunn took everything in stride. He said all the right things about putting the team first. But it wasn’t just talk, because he went out there and backed it up. Dunn locked in and focused on his strengths as a defender. Dunn is averaging 2.3 steals per game and has the most total steals in the entire NBA so far this season, despite coming off the bench and only playing about 20 mins a night. Dunn has shown the uncanny ability to swing the momentum of a game in the Bulls favor with his hard-nosed defense.
Photo: NBA.com
Dunn will lock up the opposing team’s best player, stringing together defensive stops that create transition buckets for his teammates, which ignites the Bulls offense, often resulting in the Bulls taking a double-digit lead. Dunn’s solid play off the bench has been a tremendous help to Bulls rookie Coby White, as Dunn’s play as the main facilitator of the reserves, allows White to do what he does best, focus on scoring. Dunn’s elite defense and White’s unique scoring ability, make them one of the better 2nd unit backcourts in the league.
Before the season many couldn’t imagine Dunn being part of the Bulls going forward, but after finding his niche with the 2nd unit, we can’t imagine this team, especially their defense without him.
Featured Image:
Discover more from Chicago Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.