SoCalJazzFan wrote:AingesBurner wrote:D Rog wrote:Looking for opinions. Are there guys in the league that are FAs or RFAs 28 years or younger that could play 30 minutes a night as the PG / combo guard for the Jazz and not break the bank? I don't think there is a star out there the Jazz can get as a PG without giving everything away. I also don't want to spend the 9th pick on a PG that may or may not be a long term solution... For some reason Trey Burkes (also taken as the #9 pick) comes to mind as an example how not to spend your #9 pick. I believe a guy named Giannis was taken about 6 picks later in that 2013 draft.
Donte DiVncenzo?
Gabe Vincent?
Coby White?
Or just roll with Kris Dunn.
The free agent PG market makes no sense for the Jazz right now. Draft a PG and hope they take over, but Dunn could be a diamond in the rough, albeit an older one.
I was happy to see Dunn work so well as a late addition to a team that lacked a PG, but also happy that Jazz didn't fall in love by giving him a long or overpaid contract. He should be OK as a backup, but as a 30 minute starter he would set a hard ceiling on your offense (and likely be less effective as a defender). I watched him play for the Bulls with Lauri for 3 years, so I won't be easily convinced he's now a totally different player.
The obvious main problem is his lack of shooting threat. A main ballhandler who can't take threes of the dribble basically cripples your PnR game from the beginning, and any guard who takes 2 three-point attempts per 36 will hurt your spacing. Dunn is a career 31% shooter on very low volume of only catch-n-shoot 3s. He made 2 pull-up three-pointers for the Jazz; not 2 per game, but 2 in the 22 games he played. He shot a remarkable 47% on mostly wide open standstill looks; I can believe he's worked on his shot in the long years away from the spotlight, but that small-sample excellence is surely not sustainable, and on such low volume it wouldn't add much value anyway.
The other small-sample issue is the area where he actually does take shots. Over 70% of his attempts come in the paint, with short jump hooks, flip shots and floaters usually off two feet and after several patient dribbles. That's good, because that's where he is most effective: 52% with the Jazz in the 3-10' range, again 10% above his career level. At the rim, he made a fabulous 77%, or
18% above his career average, and this must have been a mirage. He's cut off almost all the mid-range jumpers he used to take, which is a very good thing and likely a permanent improvement. Again the lack of a pull-up threat just negates his ability to run PnR effectively.
So I believe that Dunn can provide competent ball security and passing as a PG and be a very effective defender especially pressuring weaker ballhandlers and creating havoc. He should be able to score against second units, just not at the high level of efficiency he showed for the Jazz. If you trust him to be a starting PG for a team trying to make playoffs, you will be disappointed. His scoring efficiency would drop further against first unit defenses, and his aggressive gambling D would be punished more often.
Summary for TL;DR: good as a backup PG and situational defender, bad as a starter.
Jazz need a much better lead ballhandler/playmaker than any of Dunn, THT, Sexton or JC.
I don't see any of the guys suggested by the OP as the answer, either. None of them are really playmakers.
