Getty Kris Dunn #18 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts against the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center
The Brooklyn Nets have finally started to surge in December after struggling early on in the 2022-23 NBA season. Now, the team has won eight out of their last ten games as of December 13. That surge has carried them back to fourth place in the Eastern Conference and second place in the Atlantic Division. The team is getting solid play from their big three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons. Irving and Durant are both averaging above 27 points per game in December, with Irving averaging 27 and Durant adding 28.2 per game. Making them one of the most lethal duos in the association.
While they have been hot recently, one NBA analyst still suggested areas for the Nets to improve. In his December 12 column, Bleacher Reports, Andy Bailey recommended a free agent point guard that could help improve the Brooklyn roster down the stretch. The free agent name Bailey suggested was the former fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Kris Dunn.
Reasons to Sign Kris Dunn
The suggestion to sign Kris Dunn is surprising. The Nets have pretty good point guard depth as it is. Patty Mills is a solid veteran. They also have younger players like the speedster Edmund Sumner that can manage a game and has proven an ability to score when called upon, like in the December 10 matchup against the Indiana Pacers, where he scored 21 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished 5 assists. Then Cam Thomas also had a strong output against the Pacers, where he scored a career-high 33 points. Both help make up the Nets’ backcourt.
“The Nets are now flying up the standings, though. If they simply stand pat and wait for the roster to get healthy, they should be on their way to the postseason.
The problem is that good health hasn’t been the norm in Brooklyn.
Kyrie’s availability has been dubious, at best, especially since he joined the Nets. Ben Simmons, who sat out all of 2021-22 with back and mental health concerns, has already missed 10 games with various ailments this season. Patty Mills is 34 years old.
Another playmaker who could fill in when one or more of the above are out could help, and 28-year-old Kris Dunn is making a case for himself in the G League,” Bailey writes.
In the G-League, Dunn is averaging 14.3 points and 5.6 assists per game through ten games. He is also shooting above 64% from the field and 40% from behind three point range. Could he be worth a second look in the league, similar to Dennis Smith Jr., who got a second chance with the Charlotte Hornets and is averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 assists per game?
Dunn also brings good perimeter defense, but of all positions that the Nets need to address, point guard may not be the one.
Nets Could Trade a Point Guard
Signing a player like Dunn could be a move that makes sense if they were to deal one of their backup guards ahead of the deadline. One NBA insider predicted that the team would look to move on from Patty Mills at some point. Another recently suggested that the Nets were showcasing some of their bench players to increase their trade value in the December 10 game against the Pacers when only nine players suited up for the Nets.
NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports suggested that that game where players like Sumner, Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, and Yuta Watanabe shined was part of a bigger plan.
“Don’t look at the Nets [and think] that because they played those eight guys that Sean Marks doesn’t have something up his sleeve,” Robinson told Sandeep Chandok on December 12. “You don’t know what’s in his deck of cards, but ultimately the Nets were showcasing talent on that squad and that’s the talk in Nets land.”