Scouting Report: Kris Dunn

Name: Kris Dunn DOB: 3/18/1994 (22) School: Providence

Height: 6’4.25 Weight: 220 Projected Position: PG

Wingspan: 6’9.5 Standing Reach: 8’4

2015-16 Stats:

16.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 6.2 apg, 2.5 spg, 3.5 tpg (33.0 mpg)

44.8 FG%, 69.5 FT%, 37.2 3FG%, 54.1 TS%, 49.9 eFG%

28.0 USG%, 14.7 DREB%, 41.8 AST%, 18.8 TOV%, 4.3 STL%, 1.8:1 A/TO

SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN

Offense

Ballhandling/Penetration/Passing

Dunn is an excellent ballhandler, with the ability to use both hands well, and able to attack the basket, or create space for his shot, in either direction, though he does have a tendency to try and force as much to his right hand as possible. Dunn has a quick first step, and can either use his speed off the dribble, or change his speeds up and use finesse and good footwork to get to the basket. While Dunn can often have little trouble getting into the lane, he can be careless with the ball. He shows excellent body control, but again he has moments where he just barrels towards the basket and picks up an offensive foul. Dunn uses his body well as he looks to attack the basket, getting his shoulder low and turning the corner quickly on his defender. For the most part, Dunn is a strong finisher around the basket, and while he will use his left on occasion, he tries try to force some shots with his right. He uses his body well around the basket, and can handle contact while still getting his shot off. Because of his lack of consistent short jumper or floater/runner, Dunn will often try to force his way to the rim, even with help defenders around. He does a good job drawing defenders once he into the lane, and with his strong vision, he can do a good job kicking the ball out to the perimeter, or dumping it down around the rim.

Dunn is very good in the pick-and-roll, with the ability to find, or create, his own shots or set up his teammates, either rolling to the rim or spotting up on the perimeter. He can show patience, drawing defenders, and making quick reads, though he can make the wrong decisions, more than you would expect with his experience. Dunn comes off the screen well, doing a great job dropping his shoulder to come off tight, and shows very good acceleration. When he looks to get to the rim off the screen, he can be very good, showing speed and agility, as well as some creativity and bounce. He has very good vision and has a knack for knowing where his teammates will be, but his decision-making still needs a lot of work, and for every spectacular pass he make, he seems to make one just as bad. Dunn can show some creativity and touch when needed on his passes, but will become locked in on targets, cueing the defense to know where he is going. Dunn can be effective as a mid-range shooter off the screen, clearing space well, and showing a good step-back jumper, but he hasn’t found the consistency in his motion or release to be efficient, all of which are symptoms of his larger shooting woes discussed below. Dunn also has the quickness and handle to go away from the screen, or to even split the defenders, often leaving him the room to get to the rim.

Perimeter Shooting

Perimeter shooting has always been one of Dunn’s sore spots, but he has improved, even if things can look really rough at times. Dunn can be a good spot shooter, but needs to find some consistency with his form, motion, and release. When he steps into his shot, it looks pretty good, but he can have a tendency to fade away for no reason at all, which makes even less sense when it is a spot-up jumper, or the timing of his motion and release can be off, leading to a slingshot effect where he releases the ball after a hesitation in his motion. Dunn will need to prove that he has NBA three-point range, at least as a spot shooter, and eventually off the dribble. Dunn doesn’t handle closers all that well, often rushing his shot if he senses a defender getting close, and he needs to do a better job using the hard closer to give a shot fake and go by the defender. Dunn is not very good shooting off the dribble, even though he has little problem using his dribble or screens to clear space, especially as a pick-and-roll ballhandler. As with his spot shooting, Dunn has trouble coming to a stop and going straight up, instead fading in various directions or taking some creative-looking shots, even if a defender isn’t near him.

Free Throw Shooting

Dunn has been a consistent free throw shooter through his college career, though not very good, hitting 69 percent on the year, and for his career, though like his perimeter shooting, the fixes to help him improve could be minor. Dunn has a consistent routine and motion, with good follow-through, but the pause in his motion between bending his knees and coming up into his release leads to a somewhat flat, line drive shot, with little chance of getting a generous bounce. Dunn gets to the line at a good rate, having a near 46 percent free throw rate, so getting his free throw shooting to 75 to 80 percent alone could add up to more points, as his attacking style should play well at the NBA level. Also, there is the concern of playing Dunn down the stretch of close games if he can’t convert at a better rate.

More from Hoops Habit

Defense

Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)

This is where Dunn can shine, though he has some bad habits he needs to break to have it all translate to the NBA level. On the ball, he positions himself well, showing very good lateral movement, even over longer distances, and strong reaction time and instincts. Dunn can react well to changes in direction, and a wingspan near 6’10 allows him to get wide to disrupt passes or shot attempts, or keep his man contained on the perimeter. Dunn does show active feet and hands, but he can make some poor decisions, such as reaching for the ball and getting caught off-balance, or overplaying in one direction and not reacting when the ballhandler takes advantage of it. Dunn can have trouble as a pick-and-roll defender, and he needs to work on getting over screens instead of going under, though he can be clever in finding ways to recover. Still, he often makes little effort to fight over a screen, choosing instead for the easier option, which won’t work with the quality of shooting at the NBA level. Dunn’s effort closing varies, and because he has a tendency to wander off the ball, he often has to put in extra effort just to get back to his man, if he tries at all.

Off the ball, Dunn positions himself well and shows excellent movement, with the ability to deny passing lanes, and moving well between various help positions. He is active off the ball, but he has a tendency to go off and do his own things, trying to use his speed and length to make plays, even if it means being out of position relative to his man. Dunn has very good awareness, and he can be a playmaker on defense with his ability to anticipate and jump passing lanes, often leading to easy points, but because of his over-eagerness to make something happen, it’s easy to draw him out of position with quick ball movement and pass fakes. Dunn’s reaction time is excellent, and he has little trouble shadowing his man when he chooses to stick on him. He is also very good at navigating off-ball screens, using angles well, and using his agility to slide around screeners.

Rebounding

Dunn is a very good rebounder for his size, especially on the defensive end. He does a great job tracking the ball, and he uses his speed and length well to beat others to the missed shot. On the offensive end, he can be quick after his own misses around the basket, showing excellent leaping ability and timing, as well as the willingness to go back up strong with a second shot, even if he does have some problems finishing. On the defensive side, Dunn is even more aggressive tracking down missed shots, especially since it will allow him to start the team in transition. He doesn’t mind battling with bigger players for the ball, and his quickness and instincts can get him to the right spot before anyone else.

Transition

Dunn can be fantastic in transition, but it’s also when a lot of worst tendencies come out. He is quick with the ball in his hands, weaving through defenders, but he can be sloppy. First, defenders aren’t worried about him pulling up for a jumper in transition, so they make a run to the rim to defend Dunn, and at times, able to draw an offensive foul. Also, with the defenders crowded around the rim, Dunn can have some difficulties getting a good shot off, or trying to make a last-second pass when he sees the help in the lane. As in the halfcourt, Dunn can be a very good passer, with the ability to see the floor well, but he can also throw some wild passes, some for turnovers, or at minimum, making it difficult for his teammate to get a good shot. Often, all this moot, as Dunn has the speed to beat the defense down the floor, but if he doesn’t, there can be some difficulties.

Intangibles/Summary

Dunn, the two-time Big East Player of the Year, would have been a likely lottery pick if he was to have left school last year, giving him a chance to work on some of his weaker areas. While he was the conference’s top player again, he did little to convince those that his woes with perimeter shooting and decision-making were getting any better. Dunn has good size for the point guard position, with strong athletic ability and a solid build. He is an excellent ballhandler, with the ability to get into to the lane in either isolation or the pick-and-roll. Dunn can be a strong finisher around the basket, though control can be an issue at times. He has terrific court vision, and can be a spectacular passer, but his decisions can be baffling, especially when he seems to choose the more difficult of multiple options. Dunn’s long-range shooting isn’t terrible, but he is so inconsistent, you are never sure what you will get. At times, he looks like a confident shooter when he can step into his shot, and at other times, looks like he is just learning to shoot, with an inordinate amount of shots that don’t even hit the rim. The same extends to his shooting off the dribble, both mid- and long-range. Dunn needs to try and simplify his process of coming to a stop and going straight up for his shot. Dunn does a great job drawing contact, getting defenders off-balance with his speed and ballhandling skills, but his shooting troubles also extend to the free throw line, where he is a sub-70 percent shooter. Defensively, Dunn stands out, and may be the top perimeter defender in this class, using his agility and length well to lock down, on and off the ball. He does have a bad tendency to wander or try to do his own thing, leading to defensive lapses which out his teammates in bad spots, but also paying off at times with turnovers and quick baskets. Dunn is also a good defensive rebounder for his size and position, showing energy which allows him to just beat others to the missed shot. He can be very good in transition, using his speed and skill to beat opponents down the floor, but as in other aspects of his game, he can be error-prone. After some injury problems affected him early in his career, Dunn came back with two very good seasons, even if he didn’t show the improvement many wanted to see in his final season. He has all the tools to be a very good point guard at the NBA level, he just needs to improve on those key areas discussed.

Draft Value: Mid-Late Lottery – #6-13

In what is not a very deep point guard class, Dunn is the one guy in the top tier who could step in quickly for his new team. While the shooting issues and decision-making will need to improve to sustain his position, his defensive abilities alone should make an impact, as long as he can reign in some of his bad tendencies.

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