If an NBA team has anyone on its roster from a crafty point guard to a long, skilled wing, chances are Phoenix Suns rookie Ryan Dunn has been their primary defender.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young was just the latest athlete who stepped foot into the “Dunngeon.” And he had high praise for the 22-year-old rookie wing.
“He’s going to be a really good defender, you can tell,” Young said after being matched up with him all game in a 123-115 loss to the Suns on Thursday night. “He plays hard, plays aggressive, and nowadays the refs are allowing that to happen more. He’s going to be a really good player, for sure. He’s very smart. (I’ve) been a fan from a distance watching him too.”
"He's gonna be a good player."@jrussellTV asked Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) about Phoenix Suns rookie Ryan Dunn (@Almighty_ry3) and what the matchup was like against him.#SunsUp #NBA #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/RsixGOEgYm
— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) January 10, 2025
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer has matched up Dunn with the best players you can imagine as early as the first home game of the season — and Dunn’s first career start in Bradley Beal’s absence — where his primary matchup was Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
Dunn has also matched up against the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, De’Aaron Fox, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kyrie Irving just to name a few.
The Virginia product has the second-best defensive rating on the Suns (111.9) among players who play at least 15 minutes per game. His rookie teammate Oso Ighodaro is first with a 106.8 defensive rating.
As he continues to grow and start for the Suns, Dunn will only get better. Phoenix superstar forward Kevin Durant believes that Dunn has some All-NBA Defensive honors in his future as well.
“In the future, not right now,” Durant said.
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
