Atlanta Hawks: Kris Dunn is a tremendous foil for Trae Young

The Atlanta Hawks had an incredible offseason where they loaded their team up with talent at both offensively and defensively, as well as at every position on the court. One of the signings was the point guard and defensive stopper, Kris Dunn.

Dunn was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves and then traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of the Zach LaVine/Jimmy Butler trade. The defensive-minded point guard did not have a great time of it in Chicago, never playing more than 52 games in a season during his time there.

Unfortunately for Dunn and the Hawks, he has had a similar story this season. He was ready to go before he had ankle surgery, just prior to the season starting. He missed more than 60 games before making his debut against the Detroit Pistons which was, unfortunately, a loss.

The Atlanta Hawks need the skills of Kris Dunn to help Trae Young

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When Dunn takes the court he is immediately putting pressure on the ball-handler. He is happy to defend the ball as soon as it is inbounded by the opposition. This can wear down the opposition point guard as they do not have those few seconds without pressure in the backcourt.

Dunn is then pressing the opposing point guard even harder when the ball comes across the timeline. This also has the impact of wearing down the opposition, meaning that they are less likely to play as hard on defense as they need some time where they can switch the intensity down.

This is where Trae Young comes in. Dunn has worn down the opposition by not letting up which gives Young the sliver of room, which is what he needs to be such an effective offensive weapon. Then he is able to get hot and the opposition is in a lot of trouble.