Kris Dunn

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Guard Kris Dunn, in his third season with the Bulls, is a classic example of statistics not telling the full story. Despite taking a backward step in most statistical categories and seeing his role – and minutes – fall off from his first two years in Chicago, Dunn’s third season may have actually been his most impressive, as he took major steps towards finding his role on the team and establishing his name around the league as a defensive maestro.

With a crowded backcourt that added two additional point guards in free agent Tomas Satoransky and rookie first-round pick Coby White, Dunn’s role moved from a shooter to a reserve role, in which he was often asked to guard the opposition’s best backcourt scorers for long stretches. His self-described “dog” mentality – hard-nosed, big motor, passionate and never backing down from anybody – was a huge part of the soul of this Bulls team, and they missed him badly in the games where he was unavailable.

The Bulls allowed 6.8 fewer points per 100 possessions when Dunn was on the floor, and Dunn finished 4th in the NBA in total steals with 101 – surpassed by Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, and James Harden. He finished 4th in the league in deflections per game according to NBA.com – giving himself a real argument to be named to the league’s All-Defense team.

Though his contributions don’t always show in the box score, Dunn was, especially on the defensive end, one of the Bulls most impactful players this season. His season was cut short with a knee injury, but Bulls fans have to be encouraged with the energy and fire Dunn brought to the table every night. Here’s a look at some of his standout performances from this past season:

DECEMBER 18, 2019 AT WASHINGTON (BULLS 110, WIZARDS 109 OT)

Dunn Stat Line: 15 points (5-19 FG), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

In this mid-December matchup in DC, the Bulls rode an absolutely furious 4th-quarter comeback to erase a 93-75 deficit with eight minutes to play to rally and force overtime. The key – outside of big scoring efforts from Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen – was the defensive pressure, led by Dunn. The Bulls clamped down on defense to run off a quick 18-3 run, and Dunn’s hard nosed defense on Wizards Bradley Beal was the lynchpin.  Dunn was the spiritual leader on defense – and his other contributions were not half bad, with his efficient 15 points tying for his second-highest scoring total of the season. Though Dunn fouled out in overtime, the Bulls don’t win this game without his efforts on the defensive end.

NOVEMBER 6, 2019 AT ATLANTA (BULLS 113, HAWKS 93)

Dunn Stat Line: 13 points (6-8 FG), 5 steals, 3 rebounds

Yeah, you read that right. FIVE STEALS. What’s even crazier about that statistic is that he did it in just over 20 minutes – meaning Dunn stole a ball once every four minutes he was on the floor. His ballhawking (as well as making 6 of his 8 shots) disrupted the Hawks, who never found their footing in this one, falling behind early and having their frustrations mount as Dunn picked pockets left and right.

JANUARY 8, 2020 AT NEW ORLEANS (PELICANS 123, BULLS 208)

Dunn Stat Line: 15 points (6-11 FG; 3-6 3PT), 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 5 steals

The final score on this one wasn’t pretty, as a poor third quarter doomed the Bulls in this midseason matchup against rising New Orleans. Dunn played hard on both ends of the floor, scoring the ball well and consistently deflecting and stealing the ball from the Pelicans on the other end of the floor, putting up insanely productive numbers in just 30 minutes of floor time. In a game in which their one poor stretch allowed the game to get away from them and with the team still reeling from losing Wendell Carter Jr. to injury the game before, Dunn and LaVine were the two bright spots on the floor.

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Bulls 2019-2020 Season Recap: Kris Dunn

Sam Smith

The Bulls open the 2019-20 NBA season Thursday. Well, not officially since the NBA says everyone has to wait until Tuesday, the Bulls Wednesday in Charlotte. But by naming his starting five for that Oct. 23 opener after Tuesday's practice—Tomas Satoransky, as expected, to start at point guard—Bulls coach Jim Boylen also appeared appropriately to be looking ahead.

Who knows whom the Atlanta Hawks will play Thursday in the United Center when both teams concluded their preseason games given the Hawks will be finishing the second in two nights on the road. The Bulls, however, will go with their regular starters with a shortened rotation because the team has to be eying that potential 5-0 start.

No one would ever say that, and certainly no one from a 22-win team should.

But in a rare opening schedule break for a franchise that annually suffered from the early circus road trip, the Bulls play arguably the league's four weakest teams—Charlotte, Memphis, New York and Cleveland—in the first five games. All on the road complicates the possibility of the fast start, obviously. But then the middle home game is the Oct. 26 opener against defending champion Toronto without Kawhi Leonard and playing the second of a back to back with both on the road.

So can the Bulls start now and grab the early season momentum starting Thursday against the Hawks?

"The plan is to play our top 10 guys, our playing group, to get them even more used to each other, to work out our in-game rotations with those 10 guys," Boylen said about the plan for the closing preseason game. "Of course we want to get off to a fast start (in the regular season). But I want us to play good basketball and I want us to get better every day and grow with this group of guys. And what I've seen and how I feel about this team, if we do that we're going to be a good team. Our goal is to get better every day and come into every game with that edge and not have the ball stick and trust each other and play good basketball. We're keeping score, we want to win. But I want us to grow and be better."

Winning would be nice, especially after the last two seasons. The Bulls with the three No. 7 first round picks (Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White) now firmly in the regular rotation believe they have exited the recent developmental stage. That especially comes with the additions within the last eight months of veterans Otto Porter Jr., Thaddeus Young and Satoransky.

The only players left on the roster from the night of the Jimmy Butler trade June 22, 2017 are Denzel Valentine and Cristiano Felicio. So in just two years the Bulls have drastically changed a roster that could/should/might be at least a playoff contender this season.

The training camp mystery of who would start at point guard—which really was not so much of one once the Bulls completed the Satoransky sign-and-trade— was revealed Wednesday with Boylen's disclosure.

"Tomas will start at the point guard," Boylen confirmed. "Kris Dunn will come off the bench and play on the second unit. I've been happy with both of them. They're both in good places. I think this is what's best for our team, and I think it will be great for both of them individually. Kris has to be kind of our defensive force in that second group. He had 11 deflections and six steals against Indiana (Friday), so he can impact the game coming off the bench. He's embraced it. I've spoken with him and we had a good conversation about it. He's all about winning, and I'm really proud of him.''

Though the positional template seemed established, Boylen conducted something of an audition with Satoransky and Dunn sharing starts in the first two preseason games. Dunn ended up playing more with reserves, especially when none of the regulars played in Indiana. So his statistics are somewhat skewed. But Satoransky produced more and seemed a sleeker fit with the uptempo philosophy of the other starters, Porter, Carter, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen.

Satoransky averaged 8.3 points, five rebounds and five assists in three games. Dunn averaged 6.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in four. The Bulls are 1-3 in those games. Satoransky shot 58.8 percent overall and was four of five on threes. Dunn shot 42.9 percent and was two of 10 on threes. Satoransky had a plus-30 overall in three games and Dunn was minus-10 in four.

Dunn's tenure with the Bulls seemed uncertain after a spiraling end to last season. But Dunn in recent interviews said he reassessed this summer and is committed to the team whatever his role.

"I've always said he's a terrific kid," Boylen said about Dunn. "I've always said he's for the team. I've always said he's very coachable. Those things haven't changed how I feel about him and what he's done. I do think that he's in a really good place. I do think he had some introspection and got some time away and it was good for him. He said it, we've said it; he's prepared to help the team win. And that's his mindset. That's what we need. It's going to be about sharing and sacrifice. He's going to come off that bench and help us win.''

As for Satoransky, Boylen anticipates some wizardry.

"I love the way he throws the ball ahead," Boylen said. "I love his command of our offense already. He's obviously a terrific shooter. He can play on the ball and off those guys and create space. Him and I have a real good connection and he's got a really good feel. I feel confident in him running that first group."

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Opening Night Starters Are Set

Bulls.com

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KRIS DUNN SURPRISES MERCY HOME KIDS WITH ADIDAS SHOPPING SPREE

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BULLS AND ZTE HOST 15th ANNUAL THANKSGIVING DINNER AT PACIFIC GARDEN MISSION

CAREER THUS FAR: Dunn, a point guard out of Providence, comes over to the Bulls after spending his rookie NBA season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dunn was the 5th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and for good reason: he’s a 2-time Big East Player of the Year and was named consensus 2nd-team All American his senior year at Providence. Dunn brings a defensive tenacity to the point guard position, and is a young player to watch for the future.

FUN FACT: Kris' friend, who was his quarterback in high school, is Jordan Reed. Jordan is currently playing for the Washington Redskins as a tight end.

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Getting to know: Kris Dunn

chikstrycharz

The Bulls this season in the start of their rebuild are going to know hardship, frustration, and perhaps desperation. They may feel abandoned, but not lacking determination, hope and belief.

So they may have just the guy who knows from bitter experience how to fight through those doubts and odds and succeed. That he plays the game’s most vital position, point guard, is just a bonus.

“We’re starting again,” said Kris Dunn. “I think it’s about developing everybody, improving, building that chemistry. In practice, we are competing and that’s what we want to do every game. We’re not going in there to hear people say we are going to lose. We’re not going in with a losing mentality. We are going in to compete, to win. That’s how you should approach anything when it comes to competitive sports; everyone has that competitive attitude. We’ll go out and play our hardest.”

It’s the way Kris also approached life, enabling him to overcome the most brutal of childhoods. In an NBA world where childhood hardships are common, Dunn’s amazing story is arguably the most uncommon. The Bulls had Jimmy Butler and his “Blind Side” like adolescent existence of being run out of his home at 13 and having to rely on the kindness of strangers.

Dunn was nine years old, his mother previously having kidnapped he and his brother, and learning that he and his brother, then 14, would with their mother in prison live on their own. Fearing being split up and sent to an  orphanage, the brothers in Alexandria, Va., hustled the streets for food and rent money, keeping child welfare and school officials unaware. It’s an almost impassable road from there to college degree and the NBA, as well as Kris’s brother going on to become a successful accountant.

They survived and endured against unspeakable odds and grave doubts. And then they came out on the other side winners, the sort of life lesson Dunn, perhaps, can help at least symbolize with his new team.

“Not saying we didn’t get in trouble, but we were smart enough,” said Dunn. “We were good kids. We had plans for each other. We had dreams and weren’t going to let things get in the way of our dreams; we grew up fast. I tell people when I was little I wasn’t oblivious to things. Most kids are. We weren’t because we had to grow up fast. I started to see the world faster than others.”

That sort of attitude got Dunn a college degree when it is rare for top players in this era, a view toward a post basketball career in special education, and the chance after being the No. 5 pick in the 2016 NBA draft to help educate the Bulls going forward about coming back from nowhere.

Dunn had a rocky opening Summer League game with 11 points and three assists on three of 12 shooting. He then had to leave with a family emergency. But he is back at the Advocate Center working out again with the Bulls in anticipation of playing a major role in the Bulls’ revitalization.

Dunn is a powerfully built 6-4 who plays the position with force and a bit of recklessness. His strength now is on the defensive end. His shooting is average, needing improvement. He sees himself as more a facilitator for now, though the Bulls also will need him to be a scorer with their limited offensive resources.

Dunn doesn’t look like he’ll ever be a big time scorer as he’s not as explosive as players like Derrick Rose before his injuries or Russell Westbrook. He doesn’t shoot like Stephen Curry or Damian Lillard. He doesn’t handle as well as Chris Paul.

I can see Dunn playing like Fat Lever, a triple double threat with the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s. Lever wasn’t a great shooter, but used his strength to get inside, rebound and move the ball. You can see Dunn playing a little like Deron Williams, a physical guard in his prime. Maybe a little like Baron Davis. In an earlier era, Dunn has characteristics like John Bagley or even Joe Dumars, though Dumars was a somewhat better shooter. Others similar who come to mind are Derek Harper and Gus Williams. Perhaps a bit of Dick Van Arsdale, who was more shooting guard. They’re the physical players who get in the lane and make plays. Not flashy or spectacular, but capable of leading and vital.

It’s how the Bulls probably are looking toward Dunn. And he’s not someone you’d ever want to doubt or underestimate.

“What Derrick Rose did in Chicago before his injuries was amazing,” noted Dunn. “Since Jordan, he had the city where it needs to be, coming out, loving the team and the game. I’m not saying I’m the next D-Rose. But I watched him a lot and why not, great point guard. You can take something from their game and put it in yours, see how he ran a team, the mentality. Hopefully, I can get to that stature. Hopefully, if I keep working hard that can happen.

“I like to pass the ball first,” said Dunn. “I like to get guys involved. I like to get guys open shots. When guys make open shots, it makes the team better. That’s my thing. At the same time, just can’t pass because then you become too predictable. I’ve been scoring all my life. That’s what got me to this point. It’s a natural instinct. Once I find my spots that will help me down the road.”

Kris Dunn’s spot in life seemed just that, a tiny speck about to be blown away in a world flying by with little regard or interest. He and his brother, John, seemed destined to be among the pile of victims our society stacks up like dried out pieces of wood. Perhaps fit only for being burned.

Kris was a year old when his mother, Pia, took the boys from their home in Connecticut, leaving their father, John Seldon, to search for years. He would not give up, Kris and John eventually being reunited with their father and his new family, which also wasn’t easy. But hardly the most difficult of the trials.

Pia would be in and out of jail on minor offenses, the kids alone a day or two until a more serious offense. John Dunn realized the boys would be taken away and took charge.

“I trusted him because he always had my back,” Kris said of his brother declaring they’d be on their own. “He was my first father. I tell everybody that before I met my dad. He had to stop being a kid for me.”

For almost six months, in a story often told in national media during Dunn’s time at Providence, the kids defied providence given their plight. They sold their clothes, didn’t answer the door for fear of school officials as they weren’t much attending anymore, gambled to try to pick up a few bucks, which really is gambling without money in your pocket. It wasn’t all Huck Finn, either. They picked fights with drug deals to “borrow” money. They were good kids; not great kids. They were kids doing anything to survive.

It can be a useful trait if you can make it through.

Eventually, dad found them, obtained legal custody and drove down to Virginia to bring them back to Connecticut.

Kris had some of the chips off the old block, dad John having been a collegiate linebacker. Kris quickly was a star running back and defensive back. He had obvious pro potential. “Too cold outside,” he says with a laugh about leaving football. “My dad was pretty upset I didn’t want to play football.”

Pretty good at basketball, as well. Kris became a Connecticut state player of the year twice and went on to Providence, which took an early interest. But the challenges continued.

Football is a tough game. Kris needed shoulder surgery before entering college and again as a sophomore. But he worked into becoming Big East Player of the Year and seemingly a lottery selection as a junior. Kris applied for the draft, but then decided to return to school to get his degree, which he did in social sciences with a minor in business.

“Coming from where I did a lot of people don’t have the opportunity to go to college,” Kris acknowledged. “I wanted to do that. Anything can happen in basketball. I never wanted to be someone without a fallback plan. I have a college degree. I’m not planning to fail, but I have a plan B. That’s what a college degree did for me. I’d like to be a guidance counselor or special education teacher (eventually). I came from poverty. I know kids going through that. They’re just in that situation; it’s not their fault. I want to be one of those guys who helps kids out.”

That it never was easy perhaps has made Kris.

The Bulls entertained trade offers to get into the draft last year to take Dunn. None materialized. Dunn went to Minnesota, where he played sparingly, often at shooting guard and fell behind Ricky Rubio. Apparently falling out of the Timberwolves’ plans, he was available. This time the Bulls went for the deal.

Dunn is honest about his disappointment over last season, but that also is the attitude that has served him so well.

“Last year people around said I had a bad year,” Dunn acknowledged. “I’m trying to fix that, trying to improve. I want people to respect me like when I was coming out of college. I’m here now to listen, learn, work hard, do whatever it takes to improve. It’s also about chemistry with you and the coach and building that bond. You saw that with Derrick Rose when he was an MVP. He was on his way to being the next Michael Jordan before his injury. He had that bond and trust with his coach.

“There will be rough patches,” Dunn agrees. “It’s the good teams that find ways to get through it, stick together, want to improve. Work hard every day and you will get past that rough patch.”

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Fighting Through Hardship - Something Kris Has Always Done

June 22, 2017 - The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has acquired guards Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine (luh-VEEN), as well as No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft Lauri Markkanen (LAU-ree MARK-a-nin) from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for guard/forward Jimmy Butler and the No. 16 overall pick Justin Patton in tonight’s Draft.

Dunn (6-4, 205), selected fifth overall by the Timberwolves in the 2016 NBA Draft, appeared in 78 games and averaged 3.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 17.1 minutes per game last season. Dunn won back-to-back Big East Player of the Year awards while at Providence (2014-15 and 2015-16). He averaged 15.6 points and 7.5 assists in his junior season, and finished with 16.4 points and 6.2 assists in his senior season.

LaVine (6-5, 185), picked 13th overall by Minnesota in the 2014 NBA Draft, averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 47 games last season. LaVine shot .459 from the field, .387 from long range and .836 from the foul line. For his career, LaVine is averaging 13.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 206 games and shooting .445 overall, .378 from 3-point range and .821 from the stripe. After his first year in the league, LaVine was named to the 2014-15 All-Rookie Second Team.

Markkanen (7-0, 230), the seventh overall selection in this year’s Draft, averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in his one season at Arizona. Markkanen posted shooting marks of .492 from the field, .423 from distance and .835 from the foul line. The Finland native was named Third-Team All-American by the Associated Press, Sporting News and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and First-Team All-Pac-12 last season. Over the last 25 years, Markkanen and Kevin Durant are the players to record at least 69 3-pointers and 266 rebounds in their freshman year.

Butler (6-7, 231) was selected 30th overall by Chicago in the 2011 NBA Draft. A three-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA All-Defensive Team honoree, Butler has posted career averages of 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.46 steals in 399 games. He was named the 2014-15 Most Improved Player and was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2016-17. In 38 career playoff games, Butler averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.58 steals. Butler was a member of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team that won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in the 2016 Summer Games. Butler ranks in the top 10 in multiple Bulls franchise records, including free throws made (ninth), free throw attempts (ninth) and steals (seventh).

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Bulls acquire Dunn, LaVine and Markkanen from Minnesota

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