Chicago Bulls: 3 most improved players near the 50-game mark

2. Kris Dunn, Point Guard

The 6-foot-4 former Providence Friars point guard, and a 2016 lottery draft pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kris Dunn is putting on a defensive show this season. Dunn is averaging 7.5 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 steals, while shooting 44.0 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Dunn was the first Bulls player since legendary shooting guard Michael Jordan and Hall-of-Fame forward Scottie Pippen to reach the 100-steal mark in his first 50 games of the season. He is not just one of the very best Bulls defensive stoppers, he’s one of the best in the entire NBA. Dunn is a standout defender on the perimeter really no matter who he’s guarding.

Moreover, Dunn leads the Bulls in defensive win shares, steal rate, total steals, steals per game, and is second in defensive box plus/minus rating. His offensive game still leaves something to be desired, but he is taking smarter shots of late. Dwindle down the number of three-point shooting looks that Dunn gets and his driving ability and mid-range shooting are maximized.

Just because the modern NBA emphasizes outside shooting and the pace-and-space mantra more often than ever before doesn’t mean that Dunn has to mould his game completely around that. Spurs shooting guard DeMar DeRozan put on a show with more than 35 points on Jan. 27 in the loss to the Bulls. He’s a good example of why teams don’t always have to do that to their players.