Atlanta Hawks: Assessing Kris Dunn’s first action in uniform

The Atlanta Hawks were finally able to get their last offseason acquisition into uniform when Kris Dunn made his debut against the Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately for all involved with the Hawks, his first game was a loss as the Hawks battled injury on the second night of a back-to-back.

When reading that first paragraph it may seem that the odds were stacked firmly against the Hawks. Well, the truth of the matter, the odds were definitely stacked against the Hawks in Dunn’s debut.

They were still missing Trae Young, Tony Snell, Cam Reddish, and De’Andre Hunter. They were on the second night of a back-to-back and Lou Williams was sitting out with flu-like symptoms. Then deep into the last quarter Kevin Huerter and Brandon Goodwin both exited the game with injuries.

The Atlanta Hawks saw the defensive future with Kris Dunn.

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I have believed since he came into the league, Dunn has the potential to be one of the best defensive point guards in the league. Currently, the top handful includes Ben Simmons, Dejounte Murray, and Chris Paul.

During the Pistons game, Dunn showcased his defensive prowess in under 13 minutes. He had a poke away on one of his first times down the court and was happy to pressure the ball from the moment it got inbounded.

Dunn showcased his abilities with a steal and a block but his three fouls in his court time shows that he needs to play more to re-learn the speed of the NBA. When he is able to get back to speed, his defense will take the Hawks to another level.

Offensively, Dunn was very rusty. He missed all five of his shots, but given that he has never been strong on this side of the ball, that is ok. When the team has their full complement of guards, his lack of production offensively will not be an issue.