Kris Dunn is making the most of his 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz, making it exceedingly difficult for the franchise's decision-makers to say he shouldn't be signed for the rest of the season and beyond.
Following a strong debut that highlighted his ability to play defense at a high level and make plays offensively as well, Dunn was the first sub off the bench for the Jazz when they defeated the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, coming in for wing Talen Horton-Tucker less than six minutes after tip-off.
Finishing the night with 15 points, eight assists, one steal and one block in 23 minutes, Dunn is now averaging 13.0 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on 52.2 percent shooting from the field.
If those numbers were not in such a small sample size, it would be a career year for Dunn, who lost averaged at least 13 points and 4 assists per game in 2017-18, his second season. Nonetheless, as the aggressive Collin Sexton remains out with a hamstring injury, Dunn has made quite the impression. Furthermore, should the Jazz choose to sign him for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, Dunn will be the best on-ball defender on the team.
Revealing to reporters what makes him such a capable defender, Dunn discusses his football past, saying “I played football, I was a free safety high school, and my instincts come from that” (h/t Joe Coles of Deseret News)
“I like to play physical,” Dunn adds. “Understanding the game, understanding the personnel, and you gotta have a good defense around you and that allows you to be able to kind of choose your points of when to be aggressive and try to go for steals.”
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