The Chicago Bulls need as many impact players as possible if they want to compete in the Eastern Conference. According to head coach Jim Boylen, point guard Kris Dunn is one of those players.
Dunn sustained a knee injury during Friday's game against the Brooklyn Nets. Thaddeus Young smashed his head on Dunn's right knee less than 15 seconds to start the game, knocking the young point guard out for the rest of the game.
Boylen knows the importance of Dunn to the team, and he was reflective of that on Sunday.
“Kris does things in our system that are big pillars of our system – the defense, the running game, the driving and attacking that we do, the paint touches that we get. So we’re going to have to find that other places and move forward,” Jim Boylen said per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
After being selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Dunn has started to find his footing in his first three seasons in Chicago.
This season, the 6-foot-3 point guard is playing 24.9 minutes per contest while averaging 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and a team-high 2.0 steals per game.
Dunn's pension for perimeter defense and ability to pick off passing lanes is a big reason why the Bulls rank 11th in the NBA in defensive rating and first in steals per game — despite being 19-32 on the season,
Not only has Kris Dunn made an impact for the Bulls off the court, but the former Providence star is also an impact player off the court.
“He’s a great teammate. He relishes in his teammates’ success. He’s a vocal part of our meal room, our meetings, our video. He helps us learn and grow, so we’re going to miss him on a lot of levels,” Boylen added.
Still, Chicago is currently 13 games below .500 and 3.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
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