Drafting Kris Dunn Doesn’t Make Sense
By Jeremy Karll
Chad Ford has the Celtics drafting Kris Dunn with the third pick, which makes very little sense
With holes to fill this off-season, the Boston Celtics do have a lot of positives on their roster. One of their best attributes last season was their point guard play from All-Star Isaiah Thomas. He posted 22.2 points and 6.2 assists per game as he was easily Boston’s most productive player last season. That didn’t stop ESPN’s Chad Ford from having the Celtics draft point guard Kris Dunn out of Providence with the third pick in his latest mock draft.
There are a lot worse options than Dunn with the third pick, however, the Celtics would surprise everyone if they take a chance on Dunn. You can make the argument that Dunn is the third best player in this year’s draft, however, Boston has bigger holes to fill than trying to replace their lone All-Star.
Besides, Dunn reportedly said that he didn’t want to get drafted by the Celtics or Phoenix Suns and wouldn’t provide them with his medical records. He later came out and said that he never said anything to that nature about being drafted by either team, but it doesn’t provide faith that rumors like that were out about a potential top-five pick. Neither is the fact that he didn’t do individual workouts for teams.
Even if Dunn was jumping for joy at the idea of being selected by the Celtics, they have bigger needs to fill. Boston would like to add a big who can score or develop into a rim protector – Marquese Chriss – or a scoring wing – Jaylen Brown – or a three-point specialist who can provide an offensive spark off the bench and create for themselves next to Isaiah Thomas – Jamal Murray and Buddy Hield.
Kris Dunn is one of the best all-around guards in the draft this year, although, he’s more suited to being a point guard. He’s not an excellent catch-and-shoot player and isn’t consistent enough from three to be a reliable shooting guard in the NBA. He shot 37.2 percent from three as a senior, however, he’s only recently added a three-point game to his offensive arsenal and it’s far from being seen as a major threat to opposing teams.
When it comes down to it, Dunn is most effective when he drives to the basket. He’s not a sharpshooter from deep and his 69.5 free-throw percentage highlights his average mid-range game. Sure, Dunn can be used as a player who cuts to the basket, but that would take away from arguably the strongest part of his game, his passing.
The two-time Big East Player of the Year finished second in the Big East last year as he averaged 6.2 assists per game – 12th in the nation. As dominating as his 16.4 points per game as a senior was, his ball-handling and ability to set up his teammates is what makes him such an intriguing NBA prospect.
Defensively, Dunn’s size makes him a perfect two-guard candidate next to Isaiah Thomas. He’s quick enough to guard either position and at 6’3″ and 205 pounds, he has a great build to defend guards in the paint. He doesn’t have great height to block shots, however, he averaged at least 2.5 steals per game in each of his last two seasons at Providence.
The problem is, as previously noted, the Celtics can’t play him as a point guard on offense. Playing Thomas as a two-guard worked for small stretches last season when Evan Turner played as a point forward, although, he’s most effective when creating shots for himself or teammates.
He’s not effective enough from three-point range to be used in that capacity. Thomas only shot 35.9 percent from behind the arc last season, showing why 34 percent of his shots came at the basket. He might only be 5’9″ but his game revolves around getting to the rim.
At times he was overwhelmed when the Atlanta Hawks trapped him in the playoffs, although, things would have been different if the Celtics had another scoring option next to him, and that’s what they need to find this off-season. Maybe Isaiah Thomas can be overrated at times, however, he was the team’s best player and the Celtics don’t need to find his replacement.
Chad Ford noted that Dunn would be the best pure point guard on the team, which is true, and Isaiah Thomas could be dealt. That did not sit well with Thomas as he once again made his voice heard on Twitter.
The Celtics would be able to find a suitor for Thomas, although, it’d be a big risk for Boston to trade away an All-Star for an unproven rookie, especially when they’d likely not get an All-Star caliber player in return. If the Celtics wanted to improve then they’d be better off trying to improve their team around Thomas rather than trying to fix something that isn’t broken.
With a rim protector, down low scoring, and a wing scorer needed, it seems nonsensical to think adding another point guard to the roster is what Boston needs to do. Besides, they drafted Marcus Smart two seasons ago and Terry Rozier with their first pick last year, eventually they have to focus on other areas.
Next: Boston Celtics Best/Worst Case Scenario For Every Pick
Maybe Chad Ford didn’t watch a lot of Boston Celtics basketball last season, but adding a player like Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray, or Marquese Chriss would do more good than drafting Isaiah Thomas’ replacement.