Rookie forward Ryan Dunn’s defensive skills have quickly made him a key player in the Phoenix Suns’ rotation, while rookie center Oso Ighodaro, right, adds depth to the team’s frontcourt. (Photo by Daniella Trujillo/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Phoenix Suns stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal will win their team a fair share of games. That’s their job. However, through an otherwise shaky 2-1 start to the season, it’s been the Big Three’s supporting cast that has stabilized the Suns.
Forwards Royce O’Neale and rookie Ryan Dunn have been especially instrumental.
O’Neale needed just the final 3.9 seconds of the third quarter to impact the outcome of a 114-102 Phoenix victory over the Dallas Mavericks Saturday.
After O’Neale scored on a floater over Dallas sharpshooter Klay Thompson, Mavericks guard Luka Dončić quickly grabbed the ball from under the net and heaved it 48 feet to teammate Kyrie Irving in transition.
Irving dribbled past Suns center Mason Plumlee and bounced the ball to a trailing Jaden Hardy, who appeared poised to throw down a wide-open highlight dunk. O’Neale, who was still under the basket when Dončić inbounded the ball, had other ideas.
He streaked downcourt and leaped from behind to swat Hardy’s dunk attempt away right in front of the Suns’ bench. The crowd roared, the bench erupted and O’Neale’s teammates mobbed him.
“Incredible,” Durant said postgame of O’Neale’s effort play. “Coaches around the country and world can show that type of effort to their team. That ignited the crowd. That ignited our team, and we (were) able to get some momentum going into the fourth (quarter) because of that.”
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Phoenix was outscored by 24 points in the second halves of their games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns sneaked out an overtime win against the Clippers but blew a 22-point lead in a loss to the Lakers.
Coach Mike Budenholzer said plays like O’Neale’s block “definitely” give the whole team a lift.
“Those are the types of plays that we want to be about,” Budenholzer said. “When you do that, it ends up being more important than anything else you do.”
Through three games, O’Neale is only averaging 6.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 0.7 steals per game, but leads the team in total plus-minus by a wide margin – a plus-46 in 79 minutes.
From coming in at small forward and being tasked with guarding Dončić and Lakers star LeBron James, to serving as a makeshift center next to Durant to close out games, the 6-foot-4 O’Neale has been a versatile fixture in some of Phoenix’s best lineups.
The Suns had an idea of what O’Neale, who is in his eighth NBA season, could contribute. But Dunn, the rookie out of Virgina, has also staked a claim to a spot in the Phoenix rotation.
Dunn’s two-way skill set, mixed with an insatiable willingness to compete, made him just the seventh Suns rookie in franchise history to start in a home opener when he replaced Beal, who sat out due to right elbow soreness.
On a team loaded with veteran talent, why was the rookie granted a starting spot in the third game of his career?
“Just felt like it was a good opportunity,” Budenholzer said. “Ryan’s earned the trust and respect of his teammates, (and) earned the trust and respect of myself. We need him to grow and develop and he’s going to learn from everything he does.”
Dunn’s “good opportunity” included the defensive assignment on Dončić, one of the NBA’s premier offensive talents.
Although Dončić finished with 40 points and Dunn was whistled for five personal fouls – all picked up while guarding the Mavericks’ superstar – Dunn was still impactful in the team win, finishing with 13 points and shooting 3-for-6 from 3-point range.
“I love it,” Suns center Jusuf Nurkić said of Dunn’s seamless move into the starting lineup. “(He) just wants to be out there to compete, (he) doesn’t care who he guards. It’s huge for us.”
Durant said, “I just love his poise,” and recalled a stretch where Dunn hit a 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key, then disrupted a Dončić midrange shot that led to a Durant 3 – a stretch that saw the Suns lead grow from six to 15.
“He came off and shot that ball with confidence and knocked it in,” Durant said. “That’s a huge play for us and I think that’s what got us going.”
In the absence of wing Grayson Allen, Dunn has blossomed into an important rotational player and has been at the core of many of Phoenix’s biggest runs through the first three games.
The Suns knew what they were going to get from their stars this season, but there were reservations about the supporting cast that loomed over the offseason. The acquisitions of point guards Tyus Jones and Monte Morris, backup centers Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro and the dynamic Dunn have addressed some of those concerns.
All except Ighodaro boast a positive net rating early in the season.
Rookies to veterans. Guards to centers. Ahead of their home matchup against the 3-0 Lakers on Monday, Phoenix’s reserve ensemble is anchoring a top-heavy ship.
