Well before the LA Clippers had a seven-game face-off with the Denver Nuggets, the easiest, most foreshadowing sequence of the postseason was with Kris Dunn. The doubt was valid, regardless of his role as a tower in LA's potent and perfect defense.
In the regular season, the veteran guard averaged 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, shooting 43.9% from the field and 33.5% from three. His steals count was also first on the Clippers and third in the NBA, and he deflected the ball 236 times.
However, the statistics to focus on with Dunn in the postseason are his scoring averages and efficiencies. Fans knew the caliber of a defender the Clippers received when they landed him from Salt Lake City, but his offense has always been why he has bounced around the league.
By being a six-foot-three guard, failure and the liability narrative are inevitable when you do not have a consistent way to shoot and score. Dunn’s regular season three-point clip of 33.5% made it obvious what was bound to happen.
Throughout his seven postseason contests against the Nuggets, Dunn went from being a starter to benched for Nicolas Batum in game six. He got a chance at redemption in game seven and instantly sold it one minute after checking in.
Kris Dunn missing a wide-open lay-up, followed by another, shows why Tyronn Lue benched him
Through all seven games against the Denver Nuggets, Kris Dunn shot 10-for-28 from beyond the arc. This is below 36%, which is underwhelming for a guard who was started most of the games by head coach Tyronn Lue.
When Dunn is not shooting, he attacks the painted area efficiently. He is usually within the vicinity of Ivica Zubac, where he has the freedom to throw an alley-oop or attempt a floater with the big man as a decoy.
Conversely, in game seven, Dunn drained a three but was still a negative factor on offense. He received a quarterback-esque pass from James Harden, but when it was time to score, he pump-faked one defender and blew an uncontested lay-up.
Lue erroneously let him be, and Dunn did not learn from his mistake and missed another lay-up. Aaron Gordon contested this attempt, and better than trying to be a hero and score, the former first-round pick should have made an easy pass to Nicolas Batum for a corner three.
That said, Lue was right all along about benching Dunn, and his first missed lay-up in game seven proved that no mistake was made.