Kris Dunn is playing a distinct role for a Chicago Bulls team trying to find a sense of identity. While he was relegated to a reserve role after the sign-and-trade for Tomas Satoransky, Dunn has taken his role of defensive ace seriously — something that has endeared him to the fan base.
One of Dunn's innate skills is pickpocketing, an art he has honed and made into his signature weapon as a long-armed, spry defender.
The 6-foot-3 point guard has a list of skulls to his name, and he's not shy to recall them:
“Derrick Rose. Jimmy Butler. DeMar DeRozan last year. I got some names up there,” Dunn told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “If somebody’s handle is shaky, I’m on it. I take it.”
Dunn’s 6-foot-9 wingspan and his sheer attention to detail in-game and during film sessions has made him a hawk on defense, capable of taking on all comers:
“That’s my niche — to guard. They want me to be a defensive player, which I love to do,” Dunn said. “I feel I do things just a little differently. I can pickpocket people. I can get in passing lanes. I can wall people up. I can guard point guards to power forwards. I even guarded some centers in the post before and held my own. I think I can do a little of everything defensively.”
Yet straight pickpocketing is an art that not only swings the momentum of the game but completely demoralizes an opponent, able to turn the mental tide of the matchup in Dunn's favor:
“I’ve been pickpocketed before. It’s definitely embarrassing,” Dunn said. “That person might feel like they want to try to come back at you. I’ve pickpocketed a lot of dudes in this league. I could make a highlight tape out of it.
“My reach helps me. I think my frame is strong up top. So I’m able to take the bump and still have my reach out there to take the ball. And I study people’s tendencies. If you see somebody pressure you 94 feet, they tend to do a move they don’t want to do. Once they do that move and it’s a little sloppy, it’s mine. I’m going to get it.”
Dunn leads the league in total steals with 58 to his name and many more to come. His average of 1.9 thefts per game is only limited by the minutes he receives, making the most of every ounce of playing time under Jim Boylen to make an imprint on the game.
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