After a sluggish start to the season, it appears the recent surge by the Utah Jazz has some staying power. Utah is 11-4 in its last 15 games, which includes wins over the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat.
Inserting Collin Sexton into the starting lineup in place of Jordan Clarkson has garnered a lot of attention, but one player's impact has flown under the radar. The Jazz are currently 9-3 when veteran point guard Kris Dunn starts and are showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
The subject came up when ex-Jazz assistant coach Gordie Chiesa joined The Bill Riley Show on ESPN 700.
“Kris Dunn has absolutely been a game influencer, including last night... he gets 13 assists with only one turnover,” Chiesa told Riley. “He only scored five points, but he directly influences the game of Collin Sexton scoring and Lauri Markkanen scoring and the rest of his floor mates.”
No doubt, Dunn is positively impacting what’s happening in Salt Lake City. A bigger question is why it took this long to make the change.
Dunn performing at a high level shouldn't be a surprise to Jazz fans. Last season, Dunn averaged 13.2 ppg and 5.6 assists a game while only turning the ball over 1.6 times a game.
Turnovers have been Utah’s Achilles heel this season, and replacing Talen Horton-Tucker with Dunn is just what the doctor ordered. Utah still leads the league in turnovers per game, but that should change over time with the recent switch if the team stays on this pace.
Also, Dunn is a better fit with his running mate, Sexton. Utah needed a player who wasn’t ball-dominant and had a facilitator-first mindset.
This gives Sexton and Markkanen more shots in half-court sets. The pair are Utah’s most efficient scorers, and matching them up with Dunn gives Utah much-needed balance that wasn't there to begin the season.
Let's also not forget the defensive side of the court. Arguably, Dunn is Utah's best wing defender.
In fact, in 2020, Dunn was one player removed from making the All-NBA Defensive Team, and last season was made the 2022-23 G-League All-Defensive Team. Having a player that can match up with the opponent's best offensive players is something the Jazz lacked early on.
So, what does Dunn’s recent success mean for his future in Salt Lake City? This remains to be seen, but it may be wise to lock Dunn up on a long-term deal sooner rather than later.
Dunn will be an unrestricted free agent at year's end. He could still be involved in a trade before the deadline, but signing a contract to be part of Utah’s future makes more sense.
Ultimately, Utah will want to develop Keyonte George or trade for an upgrade to be the starter. However, Dunn brings a veteran presence. He's the vocal leader Utah was lacking and should be a permanent fixture in the rotation beyond the 2023-24 season.
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