NBA PM: Kris Dunn Excited for Draft Process

Kris Dunn Excited for Pre-Draft Process

The pre-draft process is getting underway for the 2016 class and former Providence point guard Kris Dunn is excited for the journey that lies ahead. Dunn’s lifelong dream of playing in the NBA is on the verge of becoming reality and he can’t wait to showcase his game and meet with teams.

“This is really exciting,” Dunn told Basketball Insiders. “I think the whole process is exciting. Every player in the draft wants to show what they can do and prove all of their doubters wrong. I’ve been doubted my whole life – on and off the court. I’m used to that and it definitely fuels my fire. If someone doubts me, I just take what they said and bring it to the gym. You can’t get down on yourself – you just have to play and get through any adversity and prove the doubters wrong.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a long time. I mean, I’ve always wanted to play in the NBA. I really don’t know how I’ll react to hearing my name [on draft night]. I’ll definitely be excited, but I might cry just because of all the hard work I put in. I really don’t know what my emotions will be.”

Dunn is projected to be one of the top picks on June 23. In Basketball Insiders’ most recent mock draft, he is slotted at fourth overall. Our good friends at DraftExpress currently have Dunn going fifth overall. Once the lottery order is decided, team needs can be factored in and it’ll be easier to project where he’ll land. However, both mock drafts have one thing in common: Dunn is the first point guard to come off of the board.

With his 6’4 body, 6’9 wingspan, terrific athleticism and stifling perimeter defense, Dunn was a match-up nightmare at the collegiate level and he drove opposing point guards crazy. He was Second Team All-American this season and finished his Providence career as a two-time Big East Player of the Year, two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-Big-East selection.

This past season, Dunn averaged 16.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals while leading Providence to 24 wins. He shot 44.8 percent from the field and a career-high 37.2 percent from three-point range (on 3.4 attempts per game). He finished the season with the third-highest assist percentage (41.8 percent) and sixth-highest steal percentage (4.3 percent) in the nation. Not to mention, he ranked 16th among all players in Box Plus-Minus (11.3) and had an impressive 23.5 PER. Out of DraftExpress’ top 100 prospects in the 2016 draft class, Dunn averaged the most steals per game and the fourth-most assists per game.

Dunn had a number of jaw-dropping performances throughout the 2015-16 campaign. In the first game of the season against Harvard, he filled the stat sheet with 32 points, eight steals, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks in the win. Three games later against NJIT, Dunn had 22 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, seven steals and a block in the win. In a December win over Hartford, he had a triple-double (16 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds along with three steals and a block) while shooting 8-12 from the field. When all was said and done, he scored 20 or more points in 11 games and recorded three or more steals in 13 games.

Former Friars point guard God Shammgod, who played 20 seasons professionally and is currently on Providence’s coaching staff, has trained Dunn throughout his collegiate career and expects him to be superstar in the NBA.

“I’m biased, but I really think he’s a first-pick-caliber player. I think Kris can be a guy who makes 13 to 14 All-Star appearances,” Shammgod told Basketball Insiders. “He’s so talented on both ends of the floor and he does the little things that people don’t notice too. He throws the advance pass as well as any player I’ve seen since Jason Kidd. That may not jump out to others, but little things like that separate him from other players. With his game, leadership and personality, he’s a face-of-the-franchise type of player. He’s the guy you want to build a team around. Not only is he a great player, he’s a great leader and great person off the court. Everyone loves who he is and loves his personality. When he sits down with NBA executives, they’re going to be impressed.”

It remains to be seen how high Dunn can climb in the upcoming draft. It’s worth noting that Dunn recently turned 22 years old, making him one of the oldest players projected to be picked in the lottery (which is typically littered with one-and-done prospects). While his age may scare some teams that want to go with a younger player, it also means he is one of the most NBA-ready players in this draft class. That should help him during the pre-draft process and in his rookie year since he’s the kind of player who can step in and make an impact from day one.

“Even though I didn’t play all four years due to my injury, I’ve been around the college game for so long that I think I have more knowledge than the other guys [in the draft],” Dunn said. “I definitely think that will help me. One reason why I stayed in college another year is so that I can come in and make an immediate impact.

“I learned a lot as a person [by staying in school]. I think that’s what college is for; it allows you to grow and it allows you to make mistakes that you can learn from. Staying this past year to finishing up school is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I got my college degree and also because I improved a lot on the court. Now, I can be the kind of player that I want to be in the NBA. My four years have been unreal and amazing. I wish I could do it all over again. There were so many great moments.”

Dunn has drawn some comparisons to a young John Wall, who is one of many players that the Providence product studies. Shammgod gives him game film to watch of Wall, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo (who was Dunn’s favorite player entering college), Gary Payton, Jamal Crawford and Michael Ray Richardson among others. Shammgod wanted Dunn to take bits and pieces from each individual’s game and study a diverse group of guards. For example, Ray Richardson was selected for Dunn because, as Shammgod said, “They’re the same height and he was a great dribbler, rebounder and defender. Kris told me, ‘That old guy was nice!’”

Dunn speaks highly of Shammgod and gives him a lot of credit for his development.

“He helped me improve my dribbling and my confidence,” Dunn said. “He had seen me play before I got to college, back when I was a McDonald’s All-American. He always told me to be confident and play like that McDonald’s All-American he saw. He has brought so much to the game – nobody can deny that. His dribbling and the actual Shammgod move are part of the game’s history. I learned a lot from him. A lot. I also learned how to be a point guard from him. He played that position and did a great job at Providence. We watched a lot of film together and he helped me implement things from certain players who I want to play like such as John Wall, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo and others. Without him, a lot of this probably wouldn’t even be happening. He taught me so much.”

Shammgod enjoyed teaching Dunn and watching the floor general make huge strides each season.

“It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work with him over the past four years,” Shammgod said. “I’ve watched him grow up, as a player and as a person. He has overcome adversity, dealing with his mother’s death, dealing with injuries and more. His support system at home helps; his dad is a very hard worker and his step mother is too. For them to trust me to guide him, it is an honor. For him to listen, since I’ve been in a similar position, that’s been great. He is willing to listen and be coached. He is humble and shows his appreciation to me as well as the other coaches, team managers and everyone he comes across.

“I also think he couldn’t have done a better job picking his school. Coach Ed Cooley is a players-coach. Our AD, Robert G. Driscoll, Jr., has been Athletic Director of the Year. The assistant AD, Steve Napolillo, is incredible. Those guys have been a big part of Kris’ success too. Their leadership has been terrific. Providence was the right place for him, and I think more kids will look here to see what the school embodies and see what they did for Kris.”

Providence big man Ben Bentil, who starred alongside Dunn this past year and is testing the NBA waters, had nothing but excellent things to say about his former teammate.

“It was an unbelievable experience to play with him because he’s such a great player,” Bentil told Basketball Insiders. “When he made the decision to come back to school, I appreciated it a lot because I knew he could lead us and really make the whole team better. He’s such a great player and he makes sure that everybody eats and everybody succeeds. He is a team-first guy and I really appreciated having him as a teammate. I’ll always remember the memories from this season with him and I’ll cherish them forever.”

Dunn’s shooting, particularly from long range, is widely regarded as his biggest weakness. However, it’s important to note that he improved his shot each season he was at Providence and has worked extremely hard to raise his three-point percentage. It’s clear that his confidence in his shot grew each year he was in college. Now, he must expand his range to the NBA three-point line. While this is an area of his game that he needs to improve, many other point guards have entered the NBA with a jumper that needs work. For example, look at Kidd, Rondo, Wall and, most recently, Elfrid Payton – all of whom failed to match Dunn’s 37.2 percent from beyond the arc in any season of their college career.

And one thing that’s apparent when talking with Dunn is that he has an intense work ethic, suggesting that his shot will only continue to improve with time. Without any prompting during our interview, he talked about seeking out the help of his team’s veterans next year so he could maximize his potential.

“Whatever team I’m on, I’m just going to look for the veterans who can teach me the most and learn from them,” Dunn said. “Everything at the next level will be a learning experience for me and I want to gain as much knowledge as I can from the older guys because they’ve been in the league and around the game for so long.”

Dunn is one of those guys who just seems to “get it” and he has the potential to become a franchise cornerstone for whichever team drafts him in two months.