With the season entering its final leg and the draft looming ahead, has Kris ‘Dunn’ enough to stick around?

Five games into the Otto Porter Jr experiment, the Bulls have turned it around and posted an impressive 3-2 record since the acquisition. Lauri Markkanen and Zach Lavine are developing into very good players. With all the puzzle pieces seemingly coming together, where does Kris Dunn fit into the grand scheme of things?

After news broke reporting that every player on the Bulls aside from Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. were available, speculation ran rampant. Kris Dunn was one of many who found himself in the crosshairs, and for good reason. Some games Dunn seems capable carrying the team and being Chicago’s point guard of the future. Other games he’s an inefficient scorer and poor ball handler. For every game like his 24 point, 7 rebound outburst in San Antonio, there’s a game where he forces his shot and ends up only making 3 of 14 attempts against the Heat. At a glance, Kris seems to be a very volatile player…

… But he isn’t. In fact, Dunn’s very consistent. Although he’s clearly had his fair share of ups and downs these two seasons in Chicago, one thing is certain: he’s better without Lavine. It should come as no surprise, considering the pair have missed a whopping 120 games due to injury in the last two– not even complete, mind you– seasons. They simply haven’t had time on the court together to build good chemistry. In fact, Dunn has actually started more games for Chicago without Lavine on the floor (44 games) than with him (41 games). Let’s take a look at the how the per-game stats back it up:

Kris Dunn without Lavine: 15 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists on 45% shooting

Kris Dunn with Lavine: 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on 41.2% shooting

These are two different players. The first is a solid young piece for a rebuilding team who can create his own offense and have an immediate impact in the win column. Player #2 however, is clearly struggling to mesh with another ball-dominant guard. The issue here is, lately we’re seeing more of the latter than the former; and it’s only getting worse.

Since Chicago made the trade for Otto Porter to fill their gap at the wing, Porter, Markkanen, and Lavine have all made huge strides in their game. Unfortunately, Dunn is floundering.

Kris Dunn since OPJ trade: 7.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, on 37.1% shooting

With his hands off the ball, and out-of-sync with the rest of this new offense, Dunn has struggled mightily to live up to his potential. But that doesn’t he just doesn’t have it in him; it simply means his skillset just isn’t being utilized correctly. After this year’s media circus, Chicago finally has a good problem on its hands. Perhaps the Bulls pursue a point guard in the draft or free agency, allowing Dunn to come off the bench and get his touches in. Marcus Smart in Boston has already taught the rest of the league about the usefulness of a Swiss Army Knife guard who can come off the bench and play good defense, as well as take over a game offensively.

If all else fails, and Dunn continues to struggle, he’s still a trade asset. His expiring deal coupled with the fact he’s a restricted free agent with bird rights, means he possesses a lot of value in the trade market.

The talent is there. Maybe not franchise-altering cornerstone talent, but Dunn can be a quality rotation player in the league for years to come. The ball is now in the court of GarPax and company. Find a way to get the most out of Dunn, or find someone better.

Featured image: giphy.com