Chicago Bulls: Three things to look forward to post All-Star break
By Jerry Finger
If Kris Dunn doesn’t improve he could be replaced.
Dunn only has 24 games left in the season to prove his worth to the Bulls’ front office. Even if he does improve it might be too late, as John Paxson was recently caught scouting young point guard Ja Morant at a Murray State game. Dunn’s season so far this year has been a complete letdown. After showing flashes in the 2018 season for a short stretch, most expected much more than what we’ve gotten from Dunn so far. We all know how good a defensive player Dunn is but it’s his offense that is the problem.
To date, Dunn has regressed offensively compared to last year. He is currently averaging two points less than he did the previous season, and 11 points per game are not nearly enough for any starting point guard in today’s NBA. His current points per game average rank 132nd league-wide. His 6.5 assists per game rank 18th. If we just look at those two stats it’s easy to see that Dunn has the playmaking ability to be a lead guard in the NBA. The question for Dunn is does he have the scoring ability?
Dunn’s offensive game revolves around getting to the rim and finding his spots in the mid-range game. It just seems this year he has struggled to consistently make his shots. He is also struggling mightily from deep and doesn’t even seem to want to shoot an open three. His three-point attempts have been cut in half this season.
Luckily with the addition of Porter, Dunn can be constantly surrounded by shooters on the wing, which should, in theory, give him more lanes to drive. Although so far that has not been the case as Dunn has been even worse on offense since the big trade. In three games post-trade he is only averaging seven points per game. If he doesn’t improve there is no question he will be replaced in some way before next season begins. It’s crazy because it wasn’t that long ago Dunn was looking like he could be the Bulls’ leading man.
In December of 2017, he averaged 15 points and eight assists for the entire month during a 15 game stretch. He was able to carry that success into January where he continued scoring 15 points a game with seven assists for a nine game stretch. Now yes that was a long time ago but the point is that not too long ago for a 24 game stretch Dunn was a good starting point guard.
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He has 24 games left in this season to prove he can do it again, or be prepared for some major competition come next season, whether it be a high draft pick or a veteran free agent. What the Bulls do at PG in the future all rests in Dunn’s capable hands, it shall be fun to see if he can prove himself worthy!