"I thought 'Dang, this is LeBron James'!": Suns' Ryan Dunn on rookie challenges, idolizing Kevin Durant, copying Devin Booker and more (Exclusive)
As the Phoenix Suns’ rookie went on a shooting streak during a pre-season game, the Suns’ star player showed his support both with body language and words.
After Suns rookie forward Ryan Dunn made his sixth 3 against the Denver Nuggets, Kevin Durant walked down the sideline and extended a high five.
“It was dope. He is someone that I’ve always looked up to,” Dunn told Sportskeeda. “He’s instilled confidence in me to keep letting it fly and to keep shooting. It’s good having him in my corner and even all of these guys letting me go and letting it fly. It’s been good.”
Those moments represent one of many reasons why the Suns may have landed the steal of the NBA draft after securing him at No. 28 through a draft-day trade with Denver. In five pre-season games, Dunn averaged 9.4 points while shooting 43.3% from 3 and impressed the Suns’ coaching staff with his defensive versatility.
In the Suns’ 116-113 season-opening overtime win over the LA Clippers on Tuesday, Dunn displayed a more modest showing in points (two), shooting (0-for-5 overall, 0-for-2 from 3), fouls (three), rebounds (two) and minutes (nine). Yet, Dunn already surprised some talent evaluators with his pre-season marksmanship after shooting only 23.5% from deep in two seasons at University of Virginia.
Though the Suns’ success fortunes largely depend on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, they likely will lean on Dunn and rookie center Oso Ighodaro (secured at No. 40 through draft-day trade).
“From the day we drafted them, they’ve been fantastic,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “They’re in the gym working. They’re sponges. They’re talking to their teammates. They’re talking to the guys that they can learn from, including the coaches. So they earned the right to play tonight. They earned their teammates’ trust and respect. They earned my trust and respect. They’re going to help us. We’re going to keep growing them, and we’re excited about their future.”
Dunn spoke to Sportskeeda about that future, including his improved 3-point shooting, idolizing Durant and LeBron James and his hopes to participate in rookie-related events during NBA All-Star weekend.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.
What’s been the key in hitting the ground running so far?
Dunn: “Just being simple with everything I do. Just finding my niche and just improving on that. That’s the biggest thing. For me, I think this year is about finding my role on this team and keep defending. That is my calling card. And then keep finding stuff offensively just to keep getting better and better.”
What has contributed to your improved 3-point game?
Dunn: “Just a lot of hard work. A lot of reps and everything. I keep having the confidence to keep shooting it even when some nights it might not fall and some nights that it might fall. Just keep having confidence to let it go. With this team, you want to get a lot of 3s up. So it’s been good to let it fly.”
Beyond just getting shots up, what has been the work been to improve that part of your game?
Dunn: “I’ve been working with the coaches. They’ve been working with me on the basics, reps and isolating everything. Getting a feel for everything, staying balanced with my shot and keep letting it fly.”
What did you think when you saw Kevin celebrating from the bench after you hit a third straight 3 in the pre-season game against Denver?
Dunn: “It was dope. He is someone that I’ve always looked up to. He’s instilled confidence in me to keep letting it fly and to keep shooting. It’s good having him in my corner and even all of these guys letting me go and letting it fly. It’s been good.”
What do you take from KD, Book [Devin Booker] and [Bradley] Beal on how they shoot?
Dunn: “I just try. I think Book has probably one of the greatest forms that I’ve ever seen. I just try to see how he shoots it and try to mimic him. I ask him some questions and get some tips from him. I keep analyzing how he’s shooting and get a feel for it.”
What makes Book’s form so great?
Dunn: “It’s the way he shoots it. It looks good every time. The ball spins the same way every time. It looks beautiful to me.”
What about KD and Beal?
Dunn: “Watching them work out, they go hard every time. Their shots every time are 100%. That’s the big thing with them as well.”
What’s it like trying to guard some of the top guys so far?
Dunn: “Try to make it as tough on them as possible. I know I can’t shut them all down. But I want to make it as tough as possible to keep it going every time. I would say LeBron has probably been the biggest one. That’s a childhood hero. I grew up watching him. It was very cool. In my first ever preseason game, I checked in and they said, ‘You got LeBron James.’ So that was probably the biggest person that I would say I had to defend.”
What was that like in the moment?
Dunn: “In the moment, it was just guarding another player. But after watching it and seeing pictures and everything, I thought, ‘Dang, this is LeBron James!’ It was cool like that. I tried to stay my ground. But obviously he’s strong and he can get to where he wants to. At his age, he knows all the different types of tricks and everything. It was really cool to defend him. I had some good possessions. But he obviously had some good possessions. It was dope.”
LeBron is LeBron. But how did he become your childhood idol?
Dunn: “I watched him growing up. Over time, he became someone that I just enjoyed watching. The way that he finished at the rim when he was younger, and then with how he played later is something that I always loved to watch. Around 2013 was when I first started watching. ‘Heat LeBron’ was probably the biggest LeBron for me when I enjoyed watching him.”
As your childhood idol, what did you take away from ‘Heat LeBron,’ ‘Cleveland LeBron and Laker LeBron’?
Dunn: “That’s a tough question. ‘Heat LeBron,’ I think is more explosive. He’s trying to go at people. ‘Cleveland People’ was more about IQ. ‘Laker LeBron’ was the same way. More IQ, and he’s still explosive. You see him doing it both ways.”
Another obvious great is Kevin. You mentioned about studying his shooting stroke. But what else have you noticed about his regimen that explains how he still plays at such an elite level?
Dunn: “He works and goes 100% every time working out with everything he does. He’s very articulate with his movements. He’s very efficient. There’s nothing too much going on. He’s someone I looked up to growing up as well. So it’s cool watching him and watching him work out.”
What’s your favorite performance of his?
Dunn: “His game 7 with Brooklyn against Milwaukee [scored a Game 7 record 48 points]. The one where he stepped on the line, but that was still such a crazy shot [to force overtime]. It was a crazy game. But he had a lot of great games. I can’t be comparing top five.”
With your specific path and journey, what were the major turning points that shaped you into who you are?
Dunn: “I think for me, it was going to Virginia and learning under Coach [Tony] Bennett. I learned how to be a good defender and learned how to be a professional. It’s about having certain type of defensive schemes and defensive things going on with having the mindset to want to guard. I think that helped me a lot. I think over time, I was able to show that.”
The knock on you in college was your shooting. How did you view that?
Dunn: “That’s just me trying to work on it now. Obviously, I continue to work on it. Over time, I’m continuing to get reps and everything like that. I’m working with the coaching staff here. So it’s been good. From college to now, it’s been better. I just keep improving from there.”
Has that served as a chip in any way?
Dunn: “A little bit, but not that much. I didn’t really hear it from the media. I try to turn that off and just focus on myself. I think it’s just my family. They help me a lot with trying to keep that away from me. Obviously, there was a little chip on my shoulder with trying to prove people wrong. But it’s just about me understanding that I just have to go out and play and not hear what everybody says.”
Now it’s the other way. It’s only been preseason. But with how strong you played, there’s buzz about you being the steal of the draft. What does that mean to you?
Dunn: “It’s cool to hear. But I’m not trying to get too high or get too low. It’s a long season. This is the regular season now. So we’ll see how everything ventures out now to start. It was cool hearing all of that stuff. But I’m trying to work now.”
What are your goals and expectations for your rookie season?
Dunn: “Just trying to find a role on this team. And with patience, find my role and find my niche. I think for me, I’m trying to make a rookie All-Star game or at least make it to All-Star, something like that. Be on a All-Rookie first team, Defensive first team or second team. I think the biggest thing for me is finding my role. Whenever I get those opportunities, just don’t take it for granted and do what they want me to do.”
What’s their feedback on that?
Dunn: “Same thing when I first got here. Defensively is your calling card. If you can do that and impact the game that way. If and when you do come in, play your role, be able to simplify your game and go from there.”