What Does Kris Dunn Do For The Timberwolves?
How does Kris Dunn fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves both now and in the future?
Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves already had a starting point guard in Ricky Rubio, head coach Tom Thibodeau still couldn’t pass up the chance to take Kris Dunn when he dropped to the team at the No. 5 overall pick.
They’ll have to figure out what to do with Rubio, but Dunn was a great pick for the future of the Timberwolves even if he isn’t an immediate star to complement Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins out of the gate.
At 6’3″, Dunn has excellent size for his position, and along with his frame he has the competitive fire to go after opposing players on both ends of the floor.
In college Dunn didn’t back down from any challenges thrown at him.
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Offensively he was known for having the handle and change of speed to get into the lane and either drive at the rim and draw contact or make the right play passing out to one of his teammates for open looks or dives to the basket.
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He’s as pure of a point guard as there is in the 2016
draft class outside of
Tyler Ulis. Dunn looks to make plays for others and specifically makes it his job to get his guys going at the beginning of games over himself.
While some may consider that “passive” I appreciate a lead guard who values the importance of having quality teammates around him and chemistry that allows them all to work together.
Basketball is a team sport at the end of the day and Dunn plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played.
One point that I mentioned earlier that’s also valid in him being a great scorer at his position in the league is his ability to change speeds.
After Dunn makes his move to get inside the arc, he has the rare tendency to slow down and make his defender hesitate before deciding what to do next. He can pull up from the mid-range, drive to the basket or find the open man off the space he just created.
That skill is one that doesn’t usually come easily to younger guards and is one that’s allowed guys like Chris Paul to have unprecedented success at the next level.
While he’s never been considered a great shooter from the perimeter, he still improved his three-point numbers to 37.2 percent last season at Providence, which would put him in fine company among his peers.
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Dunn doesn’t have to become a lights-out shooter from deep because of his explosiveness and handle, but he does need to develop his shot to a level of respectability so defenders don’t just sit underneath screens and sag off him all game.
Defensively Dunn goes after his opponents and guards them one-on-one with a level of ferocity seen only in the highest level of NBA competitors. That’s what got Thibodeau so intrigued.
Thibs is trying to build Minnesota into a defensive juggernaut and Dunn gives him another guard who can switch and potentially lock down multiple positions.
While he’s been known to gamble on steal attempts and get left behind at times, he still has the foot speed and overall awareness to stay in front of his man and his 6’9.5″ wingspan helps him play the passing lanes well and sit back to create steal opportunities to get on the break and score in transition.
Some have compared Dunn to John Wall, and while he doesn’t have the same end-to-end speed as Wall they’re both similar in size and competitive nature. Both guys are pure point guards who know how to change speeds and be effective on both ends of the floor.
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If the Timberwolves just added a Wall-lite to their team along with Towns, Wiggins and Zach LaVine, then the rest of the league is in serious trouble.