Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason.
Ryan Dunn
Forward, 6’7”, 217 lbs., 23 years old, 3rd season
Oh, Ryan Dunn. Where do we start with you?
Dunn has had a very up-and-down two-year career thus far. The highs have been high, and the lows have been low. He enters a pivotal third season. This will be the first season he has had the same head coach since Budenholzer was canned after his rookie season.
Dunn was selected 28th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, and was joined by Oso Ighodaro (pick 40) as a pair of young, athletic, defensive-minded prospects hitting a roster which at the time had approximately *checks notes* zero players like that.
Now, with a year in Jordan Ott’s system, we can only hope that everything starts to “click” for him offensively. On defense, he was good, but was not the defender we had all hoped he would be.
Last Season
| GP | MIN | PPG | RPG | APG | STL | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | OFFRTG | DEFRTG | +/- (TOTAL) |
| 70 | 19.4 | 5.8 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 45.3% | 33.1% | 48.9% | 110.4 | 108.7 | +4 |
Ryan Dunn appeared in 70 games for the Suns last season, including 16 starts. He did not take the leap that many had hoped for in year two, specifically on the offensive side. His free-throw numbers remained atrocious at 48.9%, giving him a sub-50 FT% for the second consecutive season. His three-point clip slightly improved from 31.1 percent to 33.1 percent.
He only had two games of scoring 15+ points all of last season, once against the Spurs (17 points) in November and the other time being that April regular season finale game against the Thunder (20 points). Dunn had 8 games of 20+ minutes played with 2 points or less. It’s not all about points per game, but when the efficiency is shaky and teams are sagging off you entirely, it’s a problem.
There were some positive moments without a doubt, especially defensively. It was easy to see a vision of him and Rasheer Fleming wreaking havoc together defensively. He still has the ability to be a very useful rotation piece, and could get there as soon as this season.
Contract and Roster Context
Dunn, the 28th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, remains on a rookie contract. He signed a 4-year, $12,998,353 contract with the Suns, including $5,188,560 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $3,249,588.
In 2026-27, Dunn will earn a base salary of $2,784,240, while carrying a cap hit of $2,784,240 and a dead cap value of $2,784,240. Phoenix has a $5,025,553 club option for 2027-28 that they have to exercise by October 31st, 2026. The clock is ticking!
What He Brings
Right now, the one thing you know Ryan Dunn will bring is effort and energy. Defensively, he has some serious flashes, whether it’s being a pest on the perimeter, deflecting passes, or meeting people at the rim for a weakside block. One thing I never question is his hustle or heart when he hits the floor. It’s always there.
The defensive instincts are there, but he just needs to learn how to piece it all together more consistently, and not let his offensive struggles creep into his confidence when he’s on the other side of the floor. He brings athleticism and has put several stars on posters, including Giannis. His fearlessness when in attack mode is a strong suit, and I wish he pursued entering that mode far more often.
To put it simply, Phoenix needs Ryan Dunn to be a (bigger) bodied forward who can defend multiple positions and not hurt them offensively. If he can get to the point where he’s even justnet-neutral offensively, and his defense continues to strengthen with experience, then the path to get there could be sooner than you think.
What Needs to Improve
It’s pretty clear at this point that Ryan Dunn needs to improve offensively. More specifically, shooting the ball. He and Oso have been left wide open for extended stretches, which kills spacing and gives the defense an advantage to contain other offensive threats by sending extra bodies or having the help defense loom a couple steps closer. Those two steps could be the difference. He has to be a threat to the point where he at least has *some* respect from the defense.
As we noted above, his three-point clip slightly improved from 31.1 percent to 33.1 percent. Progress, right? Not exactly, once you realize it came on 1.2 fewer attempts per game.
Can we get the volume back up a bit on a 34.1% clip this year? I think most Suns fans would take that.
Confidence is everything for Dunn. He thrives off it. When it’s lost, it shows on both ends.
Prediction
I want to be optimistic on Dunn, but now with Koa Peat in the mix along with Miles Bridges and a more experienced Rasheer Fleming… it may be difficult for him to find consistent minutes. Royce O’Neale is gone and took a lot of his potential minutes, but Bridges figures to get more and slot into that same spot. Can those two co-exist?
Floor spacing is already a concern for this team, so that’s where things get tricky.
If he makes the rotation and gains confidence early, this could be a breakout season for Dunn. If he gets buried on the bench and doesn’t get consistent time and his confidence is shot, this could be a season where he fades into the background.
And that is why it is a make-or-break year for the Virginia product as he enters year three.
Stat Prediction: 72 Games, 20.1 MPG, 6.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 47/33/55 shooting
Final Word.
Success for Ryan Dunn looks like continuing to terrorize opponents defensively while showing he is not a complete offensive liability.
We don’t need him to shoot like Luke Kennard, but he must be some sort of offensive threat. If he isn’t, it will be tough for Jordan Ott to keep him on the court consistently.
Just play confident, show that you put a ton of work into your shooting with real results, and the rest will take care of itself.
